Addressing the Mental Health and Productivity of Young Workers using Contextual Behavioural Science

心理健康问题每年影响六分之一的员工，是导致病假的主要原因(德勤，2020)。在工作场所提供心理健康支持可以是一种有效的公共卫生干预措施，有助于补救常见问题(如焦虑、抑郁)，并最终提高工作效率(Prudenzi等人，2021年)。CBS(Bond&Bunce，2003)提出了一种促进员工身心健康的新方法。这一模式和干预旨在通过帮助员工更具意识、更开放和更积极地促进员工的心理健康。这是通过“心理灵活性”的过程来实现的。我的博士论文旨在测试CBS心理模型和疗法(ACT)，以改善医疗保健员工的心理健康，减少工作压力。我的博士论文解决了文献中的几个空白，并完成了四项研究。综合研究发现，CBS模型、ACT干预和假设的复原力技能(心理灵活性和自我同情)对改善医护人员的心理健康是有益的。自从我开始攻读博士学位以来，职场心理健康的格局已经发生了巨大的变化。技术的进步、新冠肺炎大流行的持续、技术进步和经济压力导致失业风险增加的年轻人的心理健康状况变差(Bartelink等人，2020年的一篇综述)。高度相关的英国资助者(例如惠康信托)、最近的报告(例如德勤Z世代和千禧一代，2021年)、政策制定者(例如EUniWell)和最新的工作中心理健康指南(NICE)都发起了一项基于证据的干预措施，以改善年轻人在工作中的心理健康。在众多有经验的学者、合作伙伴、年轻人和利益相关者的帮助下，我希望进一步发展、推进和实施我的工作，帮助年轻人的心理健康。该奖学金有三个目标：1)进一步扩大我的研究的影响和传播，并达到国际知名度；2)发展我成为一名独立学者的能力；3)扩大和发展我在博士期间进行的工作，以帮助补救常见的青少年心理健康问题(如焦虑、抑郁)，并可能提高他们在工作中的参与度。通过这笔奖学金，我的目标是：与以下机构合作：a)伯明翰大学(迪拜)和阿联酋FAHR利益攸关方的学者，b)MHPP项目的学者和合作伙伴，c)伯明翰州立大学(埃德巴斯顿校区)的资深青年心理健康专家和YAB；传播：举办利益相关者网络研讨会，参加国际职业心理学会议和哥伦比亚广播公司会议，在公共新闻媒体上发表文章，提供培训员培训方案和学术研讨会(迪拜伯明翰大学)；指导：指导硕士水平的学生项目和一名博士生；领导：在情绪障碍实验室小组(Marwaha教授)中成立并领导一个新的IMH研究分主题小组，题为“就业与心理健康”；调整干预措施：调整我博士学位中使用的CBS干预措施，以帮助年轻人改善他们的心理健康和工作效率；制定一项拨款提案：提高我的写作技能，并开发新的研究人员资助申请。这项奖学金将旨在增强我的能力，并巩固我未来作为科学家从业者的职业生涯的相关技能：设计、管理和评估改善工作场所心理健康的干预措施。这项奖学金将增加我在这一领域的学术就业机会。尽管如此，我之所以获得这一奖学金，不仅仅是因为完成后将出现的机会，也是因为我希望参与到我非常关心的研究领域的进程中来。

Mental health problems affect one in six workers each year and are the leading cause of sickness absence (Deloitte, 2020). Offering mental health support in the workplace can be an effective public health intervention to help remediate common issues (e.g. anxiety, depression) and ultimately improve productivity at work (Prudenzi et al., 2021). A novel approach that has been suggested to promote employees' mental and physical health is CBS (Bond & Bunce, 2003). This model and intervention aim to promote mental health of employees by helping them to be more aware, open and active. This is achieved through the process of 'psychological flexibility'. My PhD thesis aimed to test the CBS psychological model and therapy (ACT) to improve mental health and reduce work-related stress of healthcare employees. My doctoral thesis addressed several gaps in the literature and produced four studies. In combination, the findings from my thesis found that the CBS model, ACT intervention, and the hypothesised resilience skills (psychological flexibility and self-compassion) were beneficial to improving mental health in healthcare employees. The landscape of workplace mental health has dramatically changed since the start of my PhD. Increased technology, the continuation of the COVID-19 pandemic, technological advancements and financial stressors have led to poorer mental health in young people with an increased risk of unemployment (Bartelink et al., 2020, for a review). Highly relevant UK funders (e.g. Wellcome Trust), recent reports (e.g. Deloitte Generation Z and Millennials', 2021), policymakers (e.g. EUniWell) and the latest Mental Health at Work guideline (NICE) have all launched a call for evidence-based interventions that improve mental health of young people at work. With the help of multiple experienced academics, partners, young people, and stakeholders I would like to further develop, advance and implement my work for helping young people's mental health. This fellowship has three objectives: 1) to further increase the impact and dissemination of my research and reach international visibility; 2) to develop my abilities to become an independent academic, and; 3) to expand and develop the work conducted during my PhD to help remediate common youth mental health problems (e.g. anxiety, depression) and likely improve their engagement at work. With this fellowship I aim to:Collaborate with: a) academics of the University of Birmingham (Dubai) and the UAE FAHR stakeholders, b) academics and partners of the MHPP project, c) senior youth mental health experts and the YAB at the IMH University of Birmingham (Edgbaston campus); Disseminate: deliver a stakeholder webinar, attend an International Occupational Psychology Conference and a CBS Conference, publish an article in a public news outlet, deliver a Train-the-Trainer training programme and an academic seminar (University of Birmingham, Dubai);Supervise: supervising master's level student projects and a PhD student;Lead: form and lead a new IMH research sub-theme group entitled 'Employment and Mental Health' in the Mood Disorders Lab group (Prof Marwaha);Adapt the intervention: adapt the CBS intervention used in my PhD to help young people improve their mental health and productivity at work; Develop a grant proposal: improve my writing skills and develop the New Investigator Grant application.This fellowship will aim to empower me and consolidate the relevant skillset for my future career as a scientist-practitioner: designing, administering and evaluating interventions for improving mental health in the workplace. This fellowship would enhance the range of academic employment opportunities available to me in this field. That said, my drive to undertake this fellowship is not solely fuelled by the opportunities that will emerge upon completion but also by the prospect of engaging in the process of pursuing a research avenue that I care about deeply.