Using data from a 24,000-person study of Canadian workers, researchers have concluded that job stress and a lack of social support at work may increase the risk of depression in men. In women, it was found, depression was linked to a lack of decision-making authority on the job plus low levels of social support.

The research was considered to provide a unique portrait of depression because it was based on such a large sample, and because it did not target a specific occupation.

Dr. Emma Robertson Blackmore, a University of Rochester psychologist, led the study, published in the November issue of the American Journal of Public Health.

Depression reduces employee productivity, increases the frequency of worker absences, and can lead to premature retirement. Authors of this new study say workplace depression remains "under-recognized and under-treated."

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