Relationship among work–treatment balance, job stress, and work engagement in Japan: A cross-sectional study

There is a drive to support workers undergoing medical treatment who wish to continue working in Japan, known as the work–treatment balance. It is hoped that this support for the work–treatment balance could boost their mental health. This study examines the relationship among the work–treatment balance, job stress, and work engagement. This study was conducted in December 2020 in Japan, with 27,036 participants. We divided the participants into three groups by the receipt state of support for the work–treatment balance: control group (no need the support), unsupported group, and supported group. The scores of the parameters of the job content questionnaire and the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES-3) were compared among groups using a multilevel regression with age-sex or multivariate-adjusted models. In the two models, the job control score of the unsupported group was significantly lower than that of the control group. The two social support scores of the supported group were significantly higher than those of the control group. The scores of the UWES-3 of the unsupported group were significantly lower than those of the control group. The support of work–treatment balance for workers could have a positive impact on their mental health.