Exploring associations between occupational sedentary behaviour and mental health symptoms among adults: a systematic review

Background: People accumulate high volumes of daily sedentary behaviour working in office-based environments, which over time has been associated with negative effects on mental health. Poor mental health, in turn, is associated with increased occupational errors, higher work absenteeism rates, and reduced productivity. Despite this, few studies have examined how sedentary behaviour at work specifically relates to symptoms of common mental health conditions.
Purpose: This review aimed to explore potential associations between occupational sedentary behaviour and common mental health symptoms, including indicators of depression, anxiety, and stress.
Methods: A systematic search was conducted following the PRISMA guidelines from CINAHL, Medline, PsycInfo, SPORTDiscus, and Web of Science. The JBI checklist was used to assess methodological quality. The best-evidence synthesis was employed to explore associations between occupational sedentary behaviour and common mental health symptoms. Synthesis categorised the measurement of mental health symptoms across the five studies into four groups, including depression, anxiety, combined symptoms of depression and anxiety, and stress.
Results: Five cross-sectional studies from Australia, Sweden, the UK, and the US were included. For combined symptoms, mixed results have been found including positive and no associations, but for depression, anxiety and stress, the evidence indicates no association.
Conclusion: Overall, there is insufficient evidence to establish an association between occupational sedentary behaviour and common mental health symptoms. However, this review suggests that prolonged occupational sedentary behaviour may be associated with a higher risk of certain mental health symptoms as positive associations were found in studies examining combined symptoms of depression and anxiety.
Practical implications: This review calls for detailed consideration about 1) specific types and severity of mental health symptoms, 2) occupation-specific domains of sedentary behaviour, 3) longitudinal, experimental, and interventional studies that explore direct associations and underlying mechanisms, and 4) differences in diverse demographic and cultural contexts.
Funding: None