The importance of individual predictors and psychosocial working conditions in assessing the work ability index of people with low vision

Abstract

Purpose. This investigation aimed to clarify the importance of individual predictors and psychosocial working conditions in estimating the work ability index (WAI) of people with impaired vision. Materials and methods. This study utilized a quantitative cross-sectional design involving 450 respondents who had low vision with visual acuity in the range of 0.05–0.3 and a control group of 150 respondents with visual acuity in the range of 0.5–0.3. The investigation was conducted using the standardized instruments of the Copenhagen psychosocial questionnaire (COPSOQ) and the WAI. Results. The average WAI score of the respondents with low vision was 30.1 ± 4.1 and that of the control group was 34.7 ± 3.4. Results indicated a positive COPSOQ/WAI correlation in the following domains: work importance; career prospects; rewards/feedback; role and definition; quality of management; social support; job satisfaction; health condition. Negative correlations were indicated in the following domains: quantitative, cognitive and emotional demands; exhaustion; stress. Conclusions. The WAI of people with low vision is both positively and negatively impacted via different intensities associated with complex correlations, including: gender; age; profession; stress propensity; quantitative, qualitative and emotional demands of work; specificity of work, professional education; presence of stressors.