Positive work-related states and long-term sickness absence: A study of register-based outcomes
Tidsskriftartikel - 2010
Resume
To investigate the association between positive work-relatedstates and long-term sickness absence (LTSA). The positive statesthat were investigated were commitment to the work-place (CW)and experience of meaning of work (MW). Methods: This associationwas investigated using Poisson regression analysis. Data consistedof a merge between Danish register data on sickness absencecompensation and survey data collected among 9,560 employeesin the Danish eldercare sector. Results: CW and MW were significantlyassociated with LTSA. Employees experiencing low MW had a significantlyincreased risk of LTSA for more than two and eight weeks, whenadjusted for psychosocial work characteristics, work-time arrangementsand physical workload. Compared to employees with low and highCW, employees with medium CW had a significantly decreased riskof LTSA for more than eight weeks, when adjusted for psychosocialwork characteristics, work-time arrangements and physical workload.Furthermore, employees with low CW had an increased risk ofLTSA for more than two weeks, but this association became borderlineinsignificant when adjusted for psychosocial work characteristics,work-time arrangements and physical workload. The analyses alsorevealed an interaction effect between CW and MW in predictingLTSA for more than eight weeks. Conclusions: CW and MW are associatedwith LTSA. Against our expectations, however, we found thathigh levels of CW and MW were not protective against LTSA. Instead,low levels of MW proved decisive in predicting LTSA, and mediumlevels of CW had a protective effect on LTSA for more than eightweeks.
Reference
Clausen T, Christensen KB, Borg V. Positive work-related states and long-term sickness absence: A study of register-based outcomes. Scandinavian Journal of Public Health 2010;38(Suppl 3):51-58.