Abstract
Stroke is one of the most common diseases and has several potential consequences, such as psychological problems and pain. Return to work (RTW) after stroke in working-age individuals is incomplete. The present study aimed to investigate differences in self-perceived general health, pain, and depression between 1 and 5 years post-stroke related to RTW status. The study was nationwide, registry-based and the study population (n = 398) consisted of working-age people who had a stroke in 2011 and participated in 1-year and 5-year follow-up questionnaire surveys. Shift analyses with the Wilcoxon signed rank test and logistic regression were used. RTW within the first year post-stroke was associated with better self-perceived general health, less pain, and less depression both at 1 and 5 years post-stroke, compared with the no-RTW group. However, the RTW group had significant deterioration in general health and pain between 1 and 5 years, while the no-RTW group had no significant change. RTW was a significant predictor of lower odds of improvement in general health and pain between 1 and 5 years. This emphasizes the need for continued follow-up and support to ensure a balance between work and health for RTW individuals after stroke.
Highlights
Stroke is one of the most common diseases and has several potential consequences, such as psychological problems and pain
There was no significant difference between the non-participants who did not respond to both of the surveys and the participants who did respond regarding sex (p = 0.951), stroke type (p = 0.889), stroke severity (p = 0.355), educational level (p = 0.153), or Return to work (RTW) status (p = 0.497)
There was no significant difference in sex (p = 1.000), stroke type (p = 0.273), educational level (p = 0.085), or RTW status (p = 0.426)
Summary
Stroke is one of the most common diseases and has several potential consequences, such as psychological problems and pain. The present study aimed to investigate differences in self-perceived general health, pain, and depression between 1 and 5 years post-stroke related to RTW status. RTW within the first year post-stroke was associated with better self-perceived general health, less pain, and less depression both at 1 and 5 years post-stroke, compared with the no-RTW group. RTW was a significant predictor of lower odds of improvement in general health and pain between 1 and 5 years. This emphasizes the need for continued follow-up and support to ensure a balance between work and health for RTW individuals after stroke. A decline in several self-reported functional aspects such as strength, activities of daily living, and mobility between 1 and 6 years post-stroke has been reported[9]. There is lack of research investigating the role of RTW in the overall long-term recovery after stroke
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