Risk Factors Linked to Psychological Distress, Productivity Losses, and Sick Leave in Low-Back-Pain Employees: A Three-Year Longitudinal Cohort Study.

Angelo Compare,Paolo Marchettini,Cristina Zarbo

doi:10.1155/2016/3797493

Abstract

Background. Low back pain (LBP) is one of the most common health problems worldwide. Purpose. To investigate the link between baseline demographic and occupational, medical, and lifestyle data with following psychological and occupational outcomes in a large sample of employees with LBP over a 3-year period. Study Design. Three-year prospective cohort study. Methods. Italian-speaking employees (N = 4492) with a diagnosis of LBP were included. Screening at Time 1 was done in order to collect information about severity and classification of LBP, demographic, lifestyle, and occupational status data. Psychological distress (PGWBI) and occupational burden were assessed after 3 years. Results. After 3 years, employees with LBP not due to organic causes had an increased risk of psychological distress. Gender appears to be an important variable for following occupational burden. Indeed, being a white-collar man with a LBP without organic causes seems to be a protective factor for following work outcomes, while being a white-collar woman with a LBP not due to organic causes appears to be a risk factor for subsequent sick leave. Moreover, LBP severity affects psychological and occupational outcomes. Conclusion. Our findings have several implications that could be considered in preventive and supportive programs for LBP employees.

Highlights

Low back pain (LBP) is one of the most common health problems worldwide
Results showed that employees with LBP due to not-organic causes are at increased risk of psychological distress (r = 0.321; p < 0.001) and greater reduction in work performance (r = −0.531; p < 0.001), while those with LBP due to organic causes showed an increase in absence from work due to illness (r = 0.713; p < 0.001) after 3-year follow-up (Figure 2)
The univariate regression analysis for each of the predictors (Table 2) showed that gender, work roles, and lifestyle variables were significantly associated with both sick leave and work performance at follow-up

Summary

Introduction

Low back pain (LBP) is one of the most common health problems worldwide. The World Health Organization [1] states that it affects approximately 80–85% of people over their lifetime. To investigate the link between baseline demographic and occupational, medical, and lifestyle data with following psychological and occupational outcomes in a large sample of employees with LBP over a 3-year period. Psychological distress (PGWBI) and occupational burden were assessed after 3 years. After 3 years, employees with LBP not due to organic causes had an increased risk of psychological distress. Gender appears to be an important variable for following occupational burden. Being a white-collar man with a LBP without organic causes seems to be a protective factor for following work outcomes, while being a white-collar woman with a LBP not due to organic causes appears to be a risk factor for subsequent sick leave. LBP severity affects psychological and occupational outcomes. Our findings have several implications that could be considered in preventive and supportive programs for LBP employees

Objectives

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion