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

Haitze De Vries,Alejandra Rodriguez Sanchez,Beate Weikert,Uta Wegewitz,Alba Fishta

doi:10.1007/s10926-017-9730-1

Abstract

Purpose To present an overview of the existing evidence on prognostic factors of (recurrent) sickness absence (SA) and return to work (RTW) among workers with a common mental disorder (CMD). This scoping review provides information about determinants for SA and RTW, which could be used to develop better interventions aimed at the prevention of SA and promotion of RTW among workers with a CMD. Methods Relevant articles were identified in PubMed, Embase, PsycINFO, PSYNDEX, and SINGLE up to October 2016. In order to be included, studies should provide insight into prognostic factors of SA or RTW of workers with a CMD. We classified all factors according to the domains of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health. Results Our searches identified 2447 possible relevant articles, of which 71 were included for data extraction. There is consistent evidence in ≥3 studies that previous episodes of CMD, higher symptom severity, previous absenteeism, co-morbidity, high job demands, low job control, high job strain, female gender, lower educational level, smoking behavior, and low perceived general health are predictors of SA in people with CMDs. Earlier RTW is consistently predicted by lower symptom severity, having no previous absenteeism, younger age, and positive expectations concerning sick-leave duration or RTW. Conclusions The amount of research on determinants for SA and RTW in workers with CMD has increased dramatically in recent years, although most studies are from the Netherlands and Scandinavia. There are some research gaps identified in this scoping review that need further attention in primary and secondary studies. Based on the summary of the evidence, we provide guidance for policy, practice and research.

Highlights

Common mental disorders (CMDs) are long-lasting predictors of onset, duration and recurrence of sickness absence (SA), reduced productivity, work disability, and early retirement [1,2,3]
In this article we present a scoping review on the existing latest empirical evidence on the prognostic factors of SA and return to work (RTW) among workers with a CMD
6 studies on SA and five studies on RTW reported different predictive values across diagnoses, and four studies found no differences in RTW or recurrent SA between the different diagnoses. In this scoping review we provided an overview of predictive factors for SA and RTW among workers with CMDs

Summary

Introduction

Common mental disorders (CMDs) are long-lasting predictors of onset, duration and recurrence of sickness absence (SA), reduced productivity, work disability, and early retirement [1,2,3]. The prevalence of CMD among the general working population during the last 12 months preceding assessment has been estimated to be approximately 17.6% [5]. CMDs generate high direct and indirect costs for society at several levels [6, 7]. These have a financial burden on companies and governments, and affect the wellbeing of individuals, who see their working- and earnings capacity reduced, or can no longer participate in the labor market.

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