Parmi les différents facteurs étudiés comme jouant un rôle dans le processus de retour à l’emploi, celui de la santé mentale reste, à l’heure actuelle, peu investigué. Cependant, elle semblerait être essentielle pour une réinsertion professionnelle réussie. Dans ce contexte, notre étude vise à participer à l’identification des freins mais également des facteurs favorisant le retour à l’emploi. Pour ce faire, nous nous sommes axés sur l’étude de l’influence de facteurs psychologiques des individus de notre échantillon et de la présence de professionnels de la santé mentale au sein d’un dispositif de réinsertion professionnelle, sur le taux de réussite de retour à l’emploi.

Au total, 120 participants ainsi que leurs encadrants techniques et conseillers d’insertion professionnelle ont pris part à notre recherche réalisée en partenariat entre un dispositif de réinsertion professionnelle, ses conseillers d'insertion et encadrants techniques et un centre d’expertise neuropsychologique - Les caractéristiques sociodémographiques ainsi que les évaluations psychologiques (présence/absence d’atteinte psychologique et degré de sévérité de l’atteinte psychologique) ont été récoltées au moment de l’inclusion. Le score d’alliance entre les participants et les conseillers d’insertion professionnelle et les encadrants techniques a été mesuré. Enfin, la réussite du parcours de réinsertion professionnelle a été évaluée en fonction du type de sortie du participant.

Les résultats de notre étude concluent que le facteur sexe (c.-à-d. être un homme) ainsi que le degré d’atteinte psychologique, évalué de modérée à sévère chez le bénéficiaire du dispositif, sont tous deux des freins à une réinsertion professionnelle favorable. En revanche, le regard positif de l’équipe encadrante sur le salarié du dispositif semble être un facteur favorisant une réinsertion professionnelle réussie.

Ces résultats permettent d’apporter des éléments quant aux facteurs favorisant ou non une réinsertion professionnelle ainsi que de penser les moyens d’action pouvant être mis en place au sein d’un dispositif de réinsertion professionnelle notamment par le biais d’interventions pluridisciplinaires via la présence de professionnels de la santé mentale au plus près des personnes en recherche d’emploi et de leurs encadrants.

Among the multiple factors studied as playing a role in the return-to-work process, mental health remains, so far, little investigated. However, it would seem to be essential for a successful professional reintegration. Indeed, research on the multiple causes of professional disintegration as well as on the factors favoring professional reintegration represents a major societal issue not only from an economic and public mental health point but also in the interest of individuals in order for them to benefit from a quality of an independent and social life. Identifying the barriers but also the intervention levers for a successful return to work for job seekers is therefore the goal of numerous research in France and internationally. In this context, our study aims to participate in the identification of barriers but also of factors favoring the return-to-work. To this end, we focused on studying the influence of psychological factors of participants in our sample and the presence of mental health professionals within a professional reintegration program on the success rate of return-to-work.

A total of 120 job seekers, their professional reintegration advisors and their technical supervisors, took part in our research conducted in partnership between a professional reintegration program and a neuropsychological expertise center. Sociodemographic characteristics and the presence/absence of psychological impairment (i.e. major depressive episode, anxiety disorder, personality disorder, substance abuse/dependence and others) and the degree of severity of the psychological impairment (i.e. mild; moderate; severe) were assessed and collected by a clinical psychologist for each participant at the time of inclusion in the study. Moreover, the alliance between the participants and professional reintegration advisors who work with employees to develop their career plans and technical supervisors who work with employees at their workstations, was measured. Finally, the success of the socio-professional integration program is assessed based on the employee's type of exit at the end of the program. Successful professional reintegration corresponds to favorable exits compared with unfavorable exits.

A barrier to a favorable professional reintegration highlighted among the sociodemographic characteristics is gender (i.e., being a male): men had more unfavorable exits than favorable exits compared to women. The second barrier is the degree of severity of the beneficiaries’ psychological problems on entry into the program: participants with no or only mild psychological disorders had more favorable exits than participants with moderate or severe psychological disorders. However, the positive perception of the supervising team toward the program's beneficiaries appears to be a factor promoting successful professional reintegration.

The presence of moderate to severe psychological impairment therefore seems to be a factor that hinders a return to work. This result highlights the importance of identifying psychological disorders among job seekers and to support them in their professional reintegration program. It also highlights the benefit of a direct psychological support within a professional reintegration structure as job seekers do not necessarily benefit from psychological support mainly for economic reasons. On the contrary, a factor that this study has been highlighting as favoring professional integration is the effect of the alliance between the supervisor and the beneficiaries of the program: a positive perception of the beneficiary of the program by the technical supervisor. This result reveals a lever for action that is not centered on the person him/herself but also on the environment of job seekers. Our study provides elements regarding the factors that facilitate or hinder professional reintegration as well as to think about the means of action that can be put in place within a professional reintegration program particularly through multidisciplinary interventions involving mental health professionals closely working with job seekers and their supervisors.