Prevalence and Correlates of Work-Phobic Anxiety in a National Representative Sample

Abstract. Work anxiety is a common mental health problem that is often overlooked and often causes long periods of sick leave. This is the first representative survey on the distribution of work-phobic anxiety in Germany. Of the 2,030 working-age participants (18 – 67 years), 7 % had increased work-phobic anxiety of a moderate (5 % with scores >1.5 – 2.5 on a scale from 0 – 4) or high (2 % with scores >2.5 – 4) degree. People with high levels of work-phobic anxiety reported the longest sick leave durations during the past 12 months (8 weeks) and the most periods of unemployment in their professional lives. The three groups were similar in age, sex, and partnership status. People with high work-phobic anxiety perceived themselves least competent in almost all dimensions of psychological capacity. Occupational health must consider work-phobic anxiety as a specific mental health problem closely linked to work-ability problems.