Determinants of Sickness Absence and Return to Work Among Employees with Common Mental Disorders: A Scoping Review

AbstractPurpose Although common mental disorders (CMDs) highly impact individuals and society, a knowledge gap exists on how sickness absence can be prevented in workers with CMDs. This study explores: (1) workers’ perceived causes of sickness absence; (2) perceived return to work (RTW) barriers and facilitators; and (3) differences between workers with short, medium and long-term sickness absence. Methods A longitudinal qualitative study was conducted involving 34 workers with CMDs. Semi-structured interviews were held at two time-points during their RTW process. The 68 interviews were audio-taped, transcribed and thematically analyzed to explore workers’ perspective on sickness absence causes, RTW barriers and facilitators, and compare data across the three sub-groups of workers. Results Workers reported various causes for their absence, including: (1) high work pressure; (2) poor work relationships; (3) unhelpful thoughts and feelings, e.g. lacking self-insight; and (4) ineffective coping behaviors. According to workers, RTW was facilitated by work adjustments, fulfilling relationships with supervisors, and adequate occupational health guidance. Workers with short-term leave more often reported favorable work conditions, and proactive coping behavior. In contrast, the long-term group reported reactive coping behavior and dissatisfaction with their work. Conclusion Supporting workers with CMDs in gaining self-awareness and regaining control, discussing the value of their work, and creating work conditions that enable workers to do valuable work, seem central for successful RTW and might prevent sickness absence. Supervisors play a key role in enabling workers to do valuable work and further research should focus on how supervisors can be supported in this task.

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Undetected Common Mental Disorders in Long-Term Sickness Absence

International Journal of Family Medicine ◽

10.1155/2012/474989 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 2012 ◽

pp. 1-9 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Hans Joergen Soegaard

Keyword(s):

Mental Disorders ◽

Sick Leave ◽

Return To Work ◽

Sickness Absence ◽

Common Mental Disorders ◽

Phase 1 ◽

Somatoform Disorder ◽

Phase 2 ◽

Two Phase

Background. Undetected Common Mental Disorders (CMDs) amongst people on sick leave complicate rehabilitation and return to work because appropriate treatments are not initiated. Aims. The aim of this study is to estimate (1) the frequencies of CMD, (2) the predictors of undetected CMD, and (3) the rate of return to work among sick listed individuals without a psychiatric disorder, who are registered on long-term sickness absence (LSA). Methods. A total of 2,414 incident individuals on LSA with a response rate of 46.4%, were identified for a two-phase study. The subsample of this study involved individuals registered on LSA who were sick-listed without a psychiatric sick leave diagnosis. In this respect, Phase 1 included 831 individuals, who were screened for mental disorders. In Phase 2, following the screening of Phase 1, 227 individuals were thoroughly examined by a psychiatrist applying Present State Examination. The analyses of the study were carried out based on the 227 individuals from Phase 2 and, subsequently, weighted to be representative of the 831 individuals in Phase 1. Results. The frequencies of undetected mental disorders among all sick-listed individuals were for any psychiatric diagnosis 21%, depression 14%, anxiety 4%, and somatoform disorder 6%. Conclusions. Undetected CMD may delay the initiation of appropriate treatment and complicate the rehabilitation and return to work.

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Landmark Analysis Exploring the Optimal Period for Intensive Monitoring After Return to Work for Employees With Sickness Absence Due to Common Mental Disorders

Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine ◽

10.1097/jom.0000000000002073 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 63 (1) ◽

pp. e21-e25

Author(s):

Masayoshi Mishima ◽

Hiroyoshi Adachi ◽

Chieko Mishima

Keyword(s):

Mental Disorders ◽

Return To Work ◽

Sickness Absence ◽

Common Mental Disorders ◽

Landmark Analysis ◽

Intensive Monitoring ◽

Optimal Period

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Sickness certification for common mental disorders and GP return-to-work advice

Primary Health Care Research & Development ◽

10.1017/s1463423616000074 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 17 (05) ◽

pp. 437-447 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Mark Gabbay ◽

Chris Shiels ◽

Jim Hillage

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Mental Disorders ◽

Return To Work ◽

Sickness Absence ◽

Mental Health Problems ◽

Common Mental Disorders ◽

Health Problems ◽

Sickness Certification ◽

Mental Health Diagnoses ◽

To Receive

AimTo report the types and duration of sickness certification for different common mental disorders (CMDs) and the prevalence of GP advice aimed at returning the patient to work.BackgroundIn the United Kingdom, common mental health problems, such and depression and stress, have become the main reasons for patients requesting a sickness certificate to abstain from usual employment. Increasing attention is being paid to mental health and its impact on employability and work capacity in all parts of the welfare system. However, relatively little is known about the extent to which different mental health diagnoses impact upon sickness certification outcomes, and how the GP has used the new fit note (introduced in 2010) to support a return to work for patients with mental health diagnoses.MethodsSickness certification data was collected from 68 UK-based general practices for a period of 12 months.FindingsThe study found a large part of all sickness absence certified by GPs was due to CMDs (29% of all sickness absence episodes). Females, younger patients and those living in deprived areas were more likely to receive a fit note for a CMD (compared with one for a physical health problem). The highest proportion of CMD fit notes were issued for ‘stress’. However, sickness certification for depression contributed nearly half of all weeks certified for mental health problems. Only 7% of CMD fit notes included any ‘may be fit’ advice from the GP, with type of advice varying by mental health diagnostic category. Patients living in the most socially deprived neighbourhoods were less likely to receive ‘may be fit’ advice on their CMD fit notes.

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Stakeholders’ Role and Actions in the Return-to-Work Process of Workers on Sick-Leave Due to Common Mental Disorders: A Scoping Review

Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation ◽

10.1007/s10926-019-09861-2 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 30 (3) ◽

pp. 381-419 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Marc Corbière ◽

Maud Mazaniello-Chézol ◽

Marie-France Bastien ◽

Estelle Wathieu ◽

Roxane Bouchard ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Disorders ◽

Sick Leave ◽

Return To Work ◽

Scoping Review ◽

Common Mental Disorders ◽

Work Process

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Systematic review and meta-analysis of interventions aimed at enhancing return to work for sick-listed workers with common mental disorders, stress-related disorders, somatoform disorders and personality disorders

Occupational and Environmental Medicine ◽

10.1136/oemed-2018-105073 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 75 (9) ◽

pp. 675-686 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

Mai Bjørnskov Mikkelsen ◽

Michael Rosholm

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Mental Disorders ◽

Return To Work ◽

Sickness Absence ◽

Strong Evidence ◽

Somatoform Disorders ◽

Common Mental Disorders ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Work Place ◽

Multicomponent Interventions

ObjectivesMental disorders are associated with significant functional impairment, sickness absence and disability. The consequences of sickness absence warrant investigation into interventions aimed at enhancing return to work (RTW) for workers with mental disorders. The present systematic review and meta-analysis aim to synthesise evidence on the effectiveness of interventions aimed at enhancing RTW in sick-listed workers with mental disorders.MethodsEconLit, Embase, PsychInfo, PubMed, Svemed+ and Web of Science were searched for peer-reviewed, randomised or controlled studies assessing employment-related outcomes of interventions. A meta-analysis was conducted and meta-regressions were performed to explore prespecified potential sources of heterogeneity between studies.ResultsThe literature search yielded 3777 publications of which 42 (n=38 938) were included in the systematic review and 32 (n=9459) had appropriate data for the meta-analysis. The pooled effect size (95 % CI) was 0.14 (0.07 to 0.22). Meta-regressions revealed that the heterogeneity could not be attributed to study quality, timing of the intervention or length of the intervention. However, it could be partly explained by number of components included in the intervention, if the intervention included contact to the work place and by the disorder targeted by the intervention.ConclusionsThe results reveal strong evidence for interventions including contact to the work place and multicomponent interventions and moderate evidence for interventions including graded RTW. In addition, the results provide strong evidence for interventions targeting stress compared with interventions targeting other mental disorders. The findings point to important implications for policy and design of future interventions.

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Screening tools for common mental disorders in older adults in South Asia: a systematic scoping review

International Psychogeriatrics ◽

10.1017/s1041610220003804 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-12

Author(s):

Lachlan Fotheringham ◽

Stella-Maria Paddick ◽

Evelyn Barron Millar ◽

Claire Norman ◽

Ammu Lukose ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Disorders ◽

Older People ◽

Diagnostic Accuracy ◽

South Asia ◽

Scoping Review ◽

Validation Studies ◽

Common Mental Disorders ◽

Global Mental Health ◽

Depression Scale ◽

Screening Tools

ABSTRACT Objectives: Common mental disorders (CMDs), particularly depression, are major contributors to the global mental health burden. South Asia, while diverse, has cultural, social, and economic challenges, which are common across the region, not least an aging population. This creates an imperative to better understand how CMD affects older people in this context, which relies on valid and culturally appropriate screening and research tools. This review aims to scope the availability of CMD screening tools for older people in South Asia. As a secondary aim, this review will summarize the use of these tools in epidemiology, and the extent to which they have been validated or adapted for this population. Design: A scoping review was performed, following PRISMA guidelines. The search strategy was developed iteratively in Medline and translated to Embase, PsychInfo, Scopus, and Web of Science. Data were extracted from papers in which a tool was used to identify CMD in a South Asian older population (50+), including validation, adaptation, and use in epidemiology. Validation studies meeting the criteria were critically appraised using the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies – version 2 (QUADAS-2) tool. Results: Of the 4694 papers identified, 176 met the selection criteria at full-text screening as relevant examples of diagnostic or screening tool use. There were 15 tool validation studies, which were critically appraised. Of these, 10 were appropriate to evaluate as diagnostic tests. All of these tools assessed for depression. Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS)-based tools were predominant with variable diagnostic accuracy across different settings. Methodological issues were substantial based on the QUADAS-2 criteria. In the epidemiological studies identified (n = 160), depression alone was assessed for 82% of the studies. Tools lacking cultural validation were commonly used (43%). Conclusions: This review identifies a number of current research gaps including a need for culturally relevant validation studies, and attention to other CMDs such as anxiety.

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Impact of common mental disorders on sickness absence in an occupational cohort study

Occupational and Environmental Medicine ◽

10.1136/oem.2010.056994 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 68 (6) ◽

pp. 408-413 ◽

Cited By ~ 53

Author(s):

S. A. Stansfeld ◽

R. Fuhrer ◽

J. Head

Keyword(s):

Cohort Study ◽

Mental Disorders ◽

Sickness Absence ◽

Common Mental Disorders ◽

Occupational Cohort

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Suicide attempt following sickness absence and disability pension due to common mental disorders: a prospective Swedish twin study

Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology ◽

10.1007/s00127-019-01803-w ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 55 (8) ◽

pp. 1053-1060 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

M. Wang ◽

L. Mather ◽

P. Svedberg ◽

E. Mittendorfer-Rutz

Keyword(s):

Mental Disorders ◽

Suicide Attempt ◽

Sickness Absence ◽

Disability Pension ◽

Depressive Disorders ◽

Proportional Hazards ◽

Common Mental Disorders ◽

Cox Proportional Hazards ◽

Shared Environment ◽

Familial Factors

Abstract Purpose The aim of this study was to investigate if sickness absence and disability pension (SA/DP) in general and due to specific common mental disorders (CMDs) are associated with subsequent suicide attempt among women and men by taking familial factors (genetics and shared environment) into consideration. Methods This register-based cohort study includes 4871 twin pairs 18–65 years of age discordant for SA/DP due to CMDs 2005–2010. Twins were followed up for suicide attempt from inpatient and specialised outpatient care until December 2012. Conditional Cox proportional hazards regression models, adjusting for familial factors, were used to calculate hazard ratios (HR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI). Results SA/DP due to CMDs was associated with a higher risk of suicide attempt (HR 3.14, CI 2.51–3.93). The risk of suicide attempt was five times higher among men and three times higher among women, compared to the SA/DP unaffected co-twins. In the diagnosis-specific analysis, SA/DP due to anxiety disorders resulted in the highest HR (4.09, CI 2.37–7.06) for suicide attempt, followed by depressive disorders (HR 3.70, CI 2.66–5.14) and stress-related disorders (HR 1.96, CI 1.35–2.84). The stratified analysis on zygosity indicates that there seems to be a genetic influence on the associations between SA/DP due to CMDs and suicide attempt, particularly among women and among those with SA/DP due to depressive disorders. Conclusions SA/DP due to CMDs was a risk factor for suicide attempt among women and men. Genetic factors might explain part of the associations for women and for those with SA/DP due to depressive disorders.

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