LifeWorks Mental Health Index™ reveals concerns about accessibility, confidentiality and cost as barriers to Americans leveraging employer-funded mental-health services
CHICAGO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–LifeWorks, a leading provider of digital and in-person total wellbeing solutions, today released its monthly Mental Health Index™, revealing a negative mental-health score among Americans for the 20th consecutive month.
Key findings:
- Overall mental-health score of -3.7 compared to the pre-pandemic benchmark, more than a two-point improvement from the previous month (-5.8 in October).
- The mental-health score of managers (-4.8) continues to be worse than non-managers (-2.9) since the start of the pandemic.
While the acceptance of digital and video mental-health support is high, almost half of working Americans have a preference for in-person mental-health support:
- Thirty-nine percent of Americans report in-person support with a counselor as their preferred modality for mental-health support and another nine percent prefer a combination of in-person and digital support.
- Twenty-six percent of Americans have no preference for the modality (digital, video or in-person) of mental-health support.
Comments from president and chief executive officer, Stephen Liptrap
“We know that digital and video mental-health support is highly effective and enables more people to access counseling. We also know that it was essential during the height of pandemic throughout lockdowns. In spite of that, it is also clear that having a choice is essential. With almost half of working Amercians preferring in-person support, providing the option is important to fully engaging people.”
Working Americans cite concerns about accessibility, confidentiality and cost as barriers to leveraging employer-funded mental-health services:
- Nine percent of Americans indicate that they are not leveraging employer-funded mental-health services because they are unclear on how to access support. This group has a mental-health score of -10.8, more than six points below the national average.
- Eight percent of individuals indicate concerns about confidentiality as their reasoning for not leveraging employer-funded mental-health services. This group has a mental-health score of -16.3, more than 12 points below the national average.
- Eight percent of individuals indicate concerns about cost as their reasoning for not leveraging employer-funded mental-health services. This group has a mental-health score of -17.5, nearly 14 points below the national average.
Comments from global leader and senior vice president, research and total wellbeing, Paula Allen
“We know that the need for mental-health support is strong. We also know not everyone who currently needs support is accessing it, even when it is available. From our data, those in greatest need for mental-health support have the greatest need for education regarding the accessibility and confidentialtiy of employer services, and the fact that employee assistance programs are a cost to the user. When people are under stress, repetition of information is even more important so that it is top of mind when mental-health support is needed.”
The full American LifeWorks Mental Health Index™ report can be found here. This month, the report includes additional insights on the impact of the pandemic on personal lives, the correlation between emergency savings and mental health and more.
About the Mental Health Index™
The monthly survey by LifeWorks was conducted through an online survey from November 9 and 22, 2021, with 5,000 respondents in the United States. All respondents reside in the United States and were employed within the last six months. The data has been statistically weighted to ensure the regional and gender composition of the sample reflect this population. The Mental Health Index™ is published monthly, beginning April 2020, and compares against benchmark data collected in 2017, 2018, 2019.
About LifeWorks
LifeWorks is a world leader in providing digital and in-person solutions that support the total wellbeing of individuals. We deliver a personalized continuum of care that helps our clients improve the lives of their people and by doing so, improve their business.
ID-CORP, ID-MH, ID-US
Contacts
Heather MacDonald
LifeWorks
media@lifeworks.com
1-855-622-3327
Angela Pinzon
Kaiser & Partners
angela.pinzon@kaiserpartners.com
1-647-295-0517