Abstract
BackgroundDoctor –certified sick leave is prevalent in the health and social sector. We examined whether the higher risk of doctor-certified sick leave in women in health and social occupations compared to women in other occupations was explained by particular work-related psychosocial and mechanical risk factors.MethodsA randomly drawn cohort aged 18–69 years from the general population in Norway was surveyed in 2009 (n = 12,255, response at baseline = 60.9 %), and was followed up in the national registry of social transfer payments in 2010. Eligible respondents were women registered with an active employee relationship for ≥100 actual working days in 2009 and 2010 (n = 3032). Using this sample, we compared health and social workers (n = 661) with the general working population (n = 2371). The outcome of interest was long-term sick leave (LTSL) ≥21 working days during 2010. Eight psychosocial and eight mechanical factors were evaluated.ResultsAfter adjusting for age, previous LTSL, education and working hours/week, women in health and social occupations had a higher risk for LTSL compared with women in the general working population (OR = 1.42, 95 % CI = 1.13–1.79; p = 0.003). After adjusting for psychosocial and mechanical factors, 70 % of the excess risk for LTSL was explained compared with the initial model. The main contributory factors to the increased risk were threats of violence and violence, emotional demands and awkward lifting.ConclusionsPsychosocial and mechanical factors explained much of the excess risk for LTSL in women in health and social occupations compared with working women in general. Psychosocial risk factors were the most important contributors.
Highlights
Doctor –certified sick leave is prevalent in the health and social sector
In an earlier study of the health and social workers cohort investigated in the present study, we found that violence and threats of violence was the strongest predictor for long-term sick leave (LTSL) among female health and social workers in Norway [9]
We identified one prospective study from 2005 that attempted to explain the difference in sick leave between occupational groups according to work environment factors, where 52 % of the variation in sickness absence days between workplaces in municipal care, technical services and a pharmaceutical company was explained by psychosocial factors [10]
Summary
We examined whether the higher risk of doctor-certified sick leave in women in health and social occupations compared to women in other occupations was explained by particular work-related psychosocial and mechanical risk factors. According to national statistics women in health and social occupations have a higher risk of sick leave compared with women in the general Norwegian working population [2], but the explanation for this increased risk is poorly understood. In the health and social sector, the work environment includes specific psychosocial and mechanical factors related to patient handling activities, such as emotional demands [3], violence and threats of violence [4, 5], and lifting patients [6]. We identified one prospective study from 2005 that attempted to explain the difference in sick leave between occupational groups according to work environment factors, where 52 % of the variation in sickness absence days between workplaces in municipal care, technical services and a pharmaceutical company was explained by psychosocial factors [10]
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