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Longitudinal cohorts drawn from a sample of 136 UK MPs responded to surveys assessing the impact of work-related changes over which they had either a higher or lower level of control—namely working hours reform and the expenses crisis, respectively. Their psychological health, experiences managing the interface between work and home and aspects of functioning at work were assessed. The findings highlighted the mixed impact of working hours reform on MPs linked to the distance of their constituencies from Westminster. Politicians’ psychological strain was found to be related to feedback they received on work-based decisions and pressure they experienced balancing work and home life. The highly negative impact of the expenses affair on MPs’ psychological health and their attitudes towards work was confirmed and relationships highlighted between psychological strain and their ability to function effectively. The relevance of levels of control over work-based events to politicians’ mental health is discussed.
