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Abstract
Managed Mental Health Care (MMHC) began blanketing the United States when cost of care rose exponentially. MMHC is one avenue many employers and insurance companies have chosen to provide employees with mental health treatment at controlled costs. However, not all employers view supplying their employees with mental health treatment beneficial, as they do not know mental health problems can significantly decrease work productivity. Brown and Jones (2005) used the Social Role Scale (SR) of the Severe Outcome Questionnaire (SOQ) to estimate work productivity in employees under the assumption that the scale measures work productivity. The purpose of this study was to move closer to an estimation of the relationship between improved mental health and improved workplace functioning by examining the relationships among a self-report measure of mental health (i.e., the SR), a self-report measure of work productivity (i.e., the Work Productivity and Activity Impairment Scale [WPAI]), and objective measures of work productivity (i.e., the quality and timeliness of institutional records, supervisor ratings, and sick hours used). It was thought that understanding the relationships among these measures might assist in estimating the cost/benefit of investing in psychotherapy. Participants in this study were employees and inpatients at the Utah State Hospital. Statistical analyses indicated the SR did predict two WPAI scales (i.e., Presenteeism and Activity Impairment) for employees. Specific relationships among measures, and suggestions for future research, are discussed.
Keywords: Severe Outcome Questionnaire (SOQ); Social Role Scale; Functional Impairment Scale; Work Productivity; Outcome Measurement; Managed Mental Health Care
