Social Causes to Sickness Absence among Men and Women with Mental Illnesses

Kari Batt-Rawden,Gunnar Tellnes

doi:10.4236/psych.2012.34045

Abstract

The mental ill-health diagnoses seem to be increasing in Europe and there are global trends towards increasing stress and ill-health at work. In order to understand the social situation for the sickness absentees it is important to consider how identities and relationships are formed in interaction with other people. Aims: 1) To reveal the absentees own perceptions and experiences of being on sick leave; 2) To understand and uncover the absentees’ own views of the causes of their illnesses. Methods: This study takes an exploratory approach, examining an area where there has been little data and building upon work that has focused on sickness absence as a phenomenon. It attempted to do so through a pragmatic synthesis of elements of ethnography and grounded theory. The main study concentrates on two main groups of diagnoses: musculoskeletal and mental problems. A sample of 30 persons on sickness absence was selected from the county of Oppland, Norway. 14 were diagnosed with musculoskeletal problems and 16 with mental illnesses. This paper deals with one main group; mental illnesses. Seven men and nine women from the county of Oppland, Norway were diagnosed with mental illnesses in accordance with the ICD-10 medical classification system (n = 16). Results: Women experience family burdens and caring responsibilities as social factors to their sickness absence, often due to a lack of support and constant burden from both work and home. Men experience stress and conflicts at work, mostly from the leadership and its organizational structure. Conclusion: A holistic approach that considers the whole life situation must also be considered in order to understand gender differences in sickness absence. Furthermore, to investigate what can be done to reduce long-term sickness absence that is not caused by traditional somatic or severe psychological disorders.

Highlights

The mental ill-health diagnoses seem to be increasing in Europe (Järvisalo et al 2005), and there are global trends towards increasing stress and ill-health at work (Dollard et al, 2007)
A recent study by Eriksson et al (2009) has suggested that the course of events leading to sickness absence due to burnout might be understood as a process of emotional deprivation, where the individual is gradually emptied of the life-giving emotional energy that is expressed as joy, commitment, and empathy
Combined with discussion of sickness absence as a phenomenon, we believe our findings can contribute to a wider understanding of sickness absence, the complexity behind the outbreak of long-term illnesses and ways of coping in everyday life

Summary

Introduction

The mental ill-health diagnoses seem to be increasing in Europe and there are global trends towards increasing stress and ill-health at work. There is considerable research on the relationship between the psycho-social conditions in working life in general and sickness absence in particular In their survey of research on the effect of working conditions on mental ill health and sickness absence, Michi and Williams (2003) have found that demands such as long hours, excessive work under pressure, lack of opportunities to influence one’s work situation, and poor support from managers were critical. Their results support the extensive research showing that demanding psycho-social working conditions in combination with few chances to determine how and when to work exacerbate stress, resulting in negative conesquences for employees’ health (Karasek & Theorell, 1990).

Results

Discussion

Conclusion