Mental health among young workers: an umbrella review of systematic reviews and meta-analyses

Background

Young workers are particularly vulnerable to mental health problems, with most disorders emerging early in adulthood. Precarious and stressful working conditions may affect well-being and labour market outcomes. This study synthesizes evidence on how working conditions affect mental health to inform prevention, productivity, and youth employment policies.

Materials and Methods

An umbrella review was conducted, including systematic reviews and meta-analyses on young workers (18–30 years) assessing mental health outcomes. Methodological quality was evaluated using AMSTAR 2. Results were synthesized qualitatively by exposure or intervention type. (PROSPERO registration: CRD420251231513)

Results

Out of 620 identified articles, 8 systematic reviews met the inclusion criteria, published between 2011 and 2025 across European and international settings. Despite high heterogeneity, negative mental health outcomes in young workers were most frequently associated with workplace social and relational factors (n = 6), organizational and psychosocial work environment (n = 5), and job strain and work demands (n = 5). Protective factors were less frequently identified, mainly within social/relational and organizational domains (n = 2 each), with limited evidence for employment conditions (n = 1). Mental health outcomes were often linked to multiple exposure categories, supporting a multidimensional perspective. From an applied perspective, interventions targeting organizational, social, relational determinants and employment conditions appear more consistently associated with beneficial outcomes than individual-level approaches.

Conclusions

Heterogeneity in populations, exposures, and outcomes limits comparability and calls for greater standardization. Overlap across exposure domains supports a multidimensional perspective, suggesting that interventions targeting organizational, social, and employment determinants may be more effective than individual-level approaches.

Key messages

• Social, relational, organizational and job strain-related workplace factors are key determinants of mental health in young workers.

• Interventions targeting organizational and employment conditions may be more effective than individual-level approaches.