Work and family: associations with long-term sick-listing in Swedish women – a case-control study

Hélène Sandmark

doi:10.1186/1471-2458-7-287

Abstract

BackgroundThe number of Swedish women who are long-term sick-listed is high, and twice as high as for men. Also the periods of sickness absence have on average been longer for women than for men. The objective of this study was to investigate the associations between factors in work- and family life and long-term sick-listing in Swedish women.MethodsThis case-control study included 283 women on long-term sick-listing ≥90 days, and 250 female referents, randomly chosen, living in five counties in Sweden. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses with odds ratios were calculated to estimate the associations between long-term sick-listing and factors related to occupational work and family life.ResultsLong-term sick-listing in women is associated with self-reported lack of competence for work tasks (OR 2.42 1.23–11.21 log reg), workplace dissatisfaction (OR 1.89 1.14–6.62 log reg), physical workload above capacity (1.78 1.50–5.94), too high mental strain in work tasks (1.61 1.08–5.01 log reg), number of employers during work life (OR 1.39 1.35–4.03 log reg), earlier part-time work (OR 1.39 1.18–4.03 log reg), and lack of influence on working hours (OR 1.35 1.47–3.86 log reg). A younger age at first child, number of children, and main responsibility for own children was also found to be associated with long-term sick-listing. Almost all of the sick-listed women (93%) wanted to return to working life, and 54% reported they could work immediately if adjustments at work or part-time work were possible.ConclusionFactors in work and in family life could be important to consider to prevent women from being long-term sick-listed and promote their opportunities to remain in working life. Measures ought to be taken to improve their mobility in work life and control over decisions and actions regarding theirs lives.

Highlights

The number of Swedish women who are long-term sick-listed is high, and twice as high as for men
Study population and design The association between long-term sick leave in Swedish women and factors related to occupational work and family life were investigated in a case-control study
The results provide evidence that factors in working life connected with competence and influence, industrial mobility, dissatisfaction with work tasks, mental and physical strain above capacity, are associated with longterm sick-listing

Summary

Introduction

The number of Swedish women who are long-term sick-listed is high, and twice as high as for men. During the first years of the 21st century, women accounted for more than 60 percent of the days for which cash benefit was paid out from the national sickness insurance due to long-term sick-listing This concerns sick leave 60 days or more. It has been suggested that the high increase in sickness absence does not reflect a corresponding deterioration in health, or that the existing indicators of health might not be up to date. Exposures such as an increasingly tough working climate, reorganisations in the public sector, and new definitions of sickness and changed attitudes, have been suggested as possible reasons for the increase in long-term sickness absence [3,4]. It has been suggested that sickness absence could be an indicator of health in a population if it includes social, psychological and physiological dimensions, as well as strictly medical dysfunctions [6]

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