[Survey on Employee Stress (Part 2)] Mental and physical health are clearly correlated. Factors like social support, coping, and sleep influence health more than the magnitude of stressors.

Humanage Inc. (Headquarters: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; President: Ryozo Saito), which provides human resource services supporting recruitment, retention, and active performance, has announced an analysis of the correlation between stress checks and health checkup results conducted in companies. The large-scale analysis covered data from 2023 to 2025, utilizing the stress check service 'Co-Labo' and the health management system 'HealthCore' provided by Humanage.

High-stress individuals in stress checks show higher rates of abnormal findings in regular health checkups. Conversely, the magnitude of stress causes showed no clear correlation with the rate of abnormal findings.

In corporate stress checks, individuals with significant distress or high risk of future deterioration are identified as 'high-stress' and are eligible for medical interviews. Upon reviewing the 'rate of abnormal findings' (percentage of individuals requiring re-examination or treatment) in health checkups, it was found that high-stress individuals had higher rates, indicating a clear correlation between mental health (stress checks) and physical health (checkup results).

On the other hand, when examining 'stress causes (stressors)' among stress check items, variations were observed depending on age and gender, and no clear correlation with the rate of abnormal findings was confirmed.

Other items correlated with physical health included 'support from supervisors and colleagues,' 'coping with stress causes,' and 'sleep.' These elements suggest a potential link to mental and physical health.

Among the stress check items, 'support from supervisors and colleagues (social support)' and 'coping with stress causes (behavioral/cognitive coping)' were also correlated with the rate of abnormal findings; individuals with lower scores in these areas tended to have higher rates of abnormal findings.

Additionally, 'exercise/physical activity' and 'sleep' showed correlations with the rate of abnormal findings, suggesting these factors are linked to mental and physical health.

Our perspective: Is mental and physical health truly connected? To clarify this, we conducted a large-scale analysis focusing on the relationship between stress checks and checkup results, confirming a correlation. Furthermore, while the magnitude of stressors is often the first focus, our analysis suggests that individual resources like social support and coping, as well as lifestyle habits like exercise and sleep, are also linked to physical health. Therefore, in addition to workplace environment improvements, it is effective to expand resources for stress management. Specific support includes: establishing counseling systems, improving stress coping through training, and encouraging healthy habits like sleep and exercise. As health management systems that centralize employee health data gain attention, the importance of comprehensive support for both mental and physical health will continue to grow.