Introduction: Mental health of workers is an essential determinant of their work
productivity and their overall health. Poor mental health contributes meaningfully to a
range of chronic physical illnesses such as hypertension, diabetes, and cardiovascular
disorders. Besides, mental health distress can severely impact the ability to work,
leading to increased absenteeism and/or presenteeism. Consequently, employers and
businesses are negatively affected by poor mental health among their employees due to
the lost productivity and profits, as well as the increased direct costs of managing these
health problems. Aim of work: To investigate the association between mental health
distress and work productivity in terms of absenteeism and presenteeism. Materials
and Methods: One-hundred and eighty male shipyard-workers were interviewed using
a predesigned questionnaire for sociodemographic characteristics, work characteristics,
lifestyle behaviors, perceived health status, and chronic diseases. Mental health distress
was measured using the Kessler psychological distress scale (K6), while measures
of work productivity (absenteeism and presenteeism) were calculated according to
the scoring guide of the Health and Work Performance Questionnaire (HPQ-short
form). Results: The mean age of participants was 48.3 years (± 8.17). Operators  and service-workers constituted 73.3% of all participants, while professionals and
administrative workers represented 16.7% and 10%, respectively. Eight workers (4.4%)
had high mental health distress, while 12.2% had moderate distress. The mean days
of absenteeism and presenteeism were significantly higher among participants with
moderate or high mental distress compared to low distress (p < 0.001). Further, within
each level of mental distress, the mean presenteeism days were significantly higher than
the mean absenteeism days. Moderate and high mental distresses were associated with
2.1 and 3.9 times greater rates of absenteeism and presenteeism compared to low mental
distress. Conclusion: Mental health distress is associated with both higher absence and
presenteeism rates. Effective workplace policies for mental health promotion and case
management could yield substantial increases in worker's productivity.