The Experts below are selected from a list of 14658 Experts worldwide ranked by ideXlab platform
Mika Kivimaki - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
-
alternative duty work as workplace initiated procedure to reduce Sickness Absence
BMC Public Health, 2021Co-Authors: Pauliina Mattilaholappa, Mika Kivimaki, Tuula Oksanen, Johanna Kausto, Ville Aalto, Leena Kailakangas, Jenni ErvastiAbstract:Alternative duty work is a procedure that enables an employee with a short-term disability to perform modified duties as an alternative to Sickness Absence. We examined whether the implementation of an alternative duty policy was associated with reduced Sickness Absence in the Finnish public sector. Two city administrations (A and D) that implemented an alternative duty work policy to their employees (n = 5341 and n = 7538) served as our intervention cities, and two city administrations (B and C) that did not implement the policy represented the reference cities (n = 6976 and n = 6720). The outcomes were the number of annual days, all episodes, and short-term (< 10 days) episodes during the 2 years before versus the 2 years after the intervention year. We applied repeated measures negative binomial regression analyses, using the generalized estimating equations method and the difference-in-difference analysis to compare the intervention and control cities (adjusted for sex, age, type of job contract, occupational class). During the five-year study period, the number of Sickness Absence days and episodes increased in both the intervention and control cities. Covariate-adjusted analysis of relative risk showed that the overall increase in post- versus pre-intervention Sickness Absence days was smaller in intervention City A, RR = 1.14 (95% CI = 1.09–1.21) than in control cities B and C, RR = 1.19 (95% CI =1.14–1.24), group × time interaction p < 0.02. In intervention City D, we found a corresponding result regarding all Sickness Absence episodes and short-term Sickness Absence episodes but not days. This follow-up suggests that implementing an alternative duty work policy may marginally decrease employees’ Sickness Absences.
-
Alternative duty work as workplace-initiated procedure to reduce Sickness Absence
'Springer Science and Business Media LLC', 2021Co-Authors: Pauliina Mattila-holappa, Mika Kivimaki, Tuula Oksanen, Johanna Kausto, Ville Aalto, Leena Kaila-kangas, Jenni ErvastiAbstract:Abstract Purpose Alternative duty work is a procedure that enables an employee with a short-term disability to perform modified duties as an alternative to Sickness Absence. We examined whether the implementation of an alternative duty policy was associated with reduced Sickness Absence in the Finnish public sector. Methods Two city administrations (A and D) that implemented an alternative duty work policy to their employees (n = 5341 and n = 7538) served as our intervention cities, and two city administrations (B and C) that did not implement the policy represented the reference cities (n = 6976 and n = 6720). The outcomes were the number of annual days, all episodes, and short-term (
-
job strain and informal caregiving as predictors of long term Sickness Absence a longitudinal multi cohort study
Scandinavian Journal of Work Environment & Health, 2017Co-Authors: Jesper Mortensen, Kristina Alexanderson, Reiner Rugulies, Mika Kivimaki, Jenny Head, Marcel Goldberg, Nadya Dich, Theis Lange, Ida E H Madsen, Jussi VahteraAbstract:Objectives The aim of this study was to investigate the individual, joint and interactive effects of job strain and informal caregiving on long-term Sickness Absence with special attention to gender differences. Methods The study comprised a prospective cohort study of 6798 working adults from France, 14 727 from Finland, and 5275 from the UK. A total of 26 800 participants, age 52 (interquartile range 47–56) years participated in the study. Job strain was assessed using the demand–control model. Informal caregiving was defined as care for a sick, disabled, or elderly person. Long-term Sickness Absence spells defined as Absence >14 consecutive days were registered during two years follow-up. We used recurrent-events Cox regression in random-effects meta-analyses. Results A total of 12% men and 21% women had ≥1 long-term Sickness Absence spell. Among women, both high job strain [hazard ratio (HR) 1.08, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.00–1.17] and informal caregiving (HR 1.13, 95% CI 1.04–1.23) were associated with a modestly higher risk of Sickness Absence. Women doubly exposed to high job strain and informal caregiving also showed a moderately higher risk of Sickness Absence (HR 1.20, 95% CI 1.03–1.41), but the excess risk was not more than expected from joint exposure to caregiving and job strain. Neither job strain nor informal caregiving predicted Sickness Absence for men. Conclusions High job strain and informal caregiving predicted long-term Sickness Absence among women. However there was no noticeable interaction in the presence of both exposures.
-
Sickness Absence among finnish special and general education teachers
Occupational Medicine, 2011Co-Authors: Jenni Ervasti, Jussi Vahtera, Mika Kivimaki, Jaana Pentti, Sakari Suominen, Marianna VirtanenAbstract:BACKGROUND: Although teaching is considered a high-stress profession, research on stress-related outcomes among teachers, such as Absence from work due to illness (i.e. Sickness Absence), remains scarce. It is possible that teachers are not a homogeneous group but include subgroups with particularly high risk of Sickness Absence, such as special education teachers. AIMS: To examine differences in Sickness Absence rates between special and general education teachers in a large cohort of 2291 Finnish lower secondary school teachers. METHODS: Register data on teachers' job titles, sociodemographic characteristics and Sickness Absence were obtained from 10 municipal employers' registers. Indices of Sickness Absence included rates of short-term (1-3 days) and long-term (>3 days) Absence spells during 2003-05. RESULTS: With multi-level models adjusted for individual- and school-level covariates, we found that although the absolute level of Sickness Absence was higher among women than among men, male special education teachers were at a 1.36-fold (95% CI: 1.15-1.61) increased risk of short-term and a 1.33-fold (95% CI: 1.01-1.76) increased risk of long-term Sickness Absence compared with male teachers in general education. Among women, there were no differences in Sickness Absence between special and general education teachers. CONCLUSIONS: Compared to male teachers in general education, male teachers in special education appear to have an excess risk of Absence from work due to illness. Future studies should examine the causes for this excess risk and determine the need for preventive interventions.
-
students school satisfaction as predictor of teachers Sickness Absence a prospective cohort study
WOS, 2011Co-Authors: Jenni Ervasti, Mika Kivimaki, Jaana Pentti, Sakari Suominen, Riikka Puusniekka, P Luopa, Kirsi Ahola, Jussi VahteraAbstract:Background: Although health is an important determinant of Sickness Absence, social relationships at the workplace may also affect levels of sick leaves. This study examined whether students’ self-assessed satisfaction with school predicted Sickness Absence among teachers in Finnish secondary schools. Methods: We measured school satisfaction of 17 033 students aged 14–16 years from 90 schools by a survey (the School Health Promotion Study) and aggregated school-specific scores of students’ school satisfaction. For analysis, we linked these school-level data to records of Sickness Absence in the survey year and the following year among 2364 teachers working in the same schools (the 10-Town Study). For Sickness Absence longer than 9 days, we obtained diagnoses from national health registers. Results: Multilevel Poisson and logistic regression models adjusted for relevant baseline covariates showed a rate ratio of 1.2 [95% confidence interval (95% CI): 1.0–1.5] for long-term (>3 days) Sickness Absence among teachers working in schools with two lowest thirds of student satisfaction compared with teachers in schools with high student satisfaction. The corresponding odds ratio (OR) was higher for Sickness Absence with a psychiatric diagnosis (OR 1.9, 95% CI: 1.1–3.2), more specifically, neurotic and stress-related disorders (OR 2.6, 95% CI: 1.2–5.9). Students’ school satisfaction was not associated with teachers’ short-term (1–3 days) sick leaves. Conclusions : These data suggest a link between social relationships at school, as indexed by students’ school satisfaction, and teachers’ sick leaves, with the strongest associations seen for Absences with mental health diagnoses.
Jussi Vahtera - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
-
job strain and informal caregiving as predictors of long term Sickness Absence a longitudinal multi cohort study
Scandinavian Journal of Work Environment & Health, 2017Co-Authors: Jesper Mortensen, Kristina Alexanderson, Reiner Rugulies, Mika Kivimaki, Jenny Head, Marcel Goldberg, Nadya Dich, Theis Lange, Ida E H Madsen, Jussi VahteraAbstract:Objectives The aim of this study was to investigate the individual, joint and interactive effects of job strain and informal caregiving on long-term Sickness Absence with special attention to gender differences. Methods The study comprised a prospective cohort study of 6798 working adults from France, 14 727 from Finland, and 5275 from the UK. A total of 26 800 participants, age 52 (interquartile range 47–56) years participated in the study. Job strain was assessed using the demand–control model. Informal caregiving was defined as care for a sick, disabled, or elderly person. Long-term Sickness Absence spells defined as Absence >14 consecutive days were registered during two years follow-up. We used recurrent-events Cox regression in random-effects meta-analyses. Results A total of 12% men and 21% women had ≥1 long-term Sickness Absence spell. Among women, both high job strain [hazard ratio (HR) 1.08, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.00–1.17] and informal caregiving (HR 1.13, 95% CI 1.04–1.23) were associated with a modestly higher risk of Sickness Absence. Women doubly exposed to high job strain and informal caregiving also showed a moderately higher risk of Sickness Absence (HR 1.20, 95% CI 1.03–1.41), but the excess risk was not more than expected from joint exposure to caregiving and job strain. Neither job strain nor informal caregiving predicted Sickness Absence for men. Conclusions High job strain and informal caregiving predicted long-term Sickness Absence among women. However there was no noticeable interaction in the presence of both exposures.
-
Sickness Absence among finnish special and general education teachers
Occupational Medicine, 2011Co-Authors: Jenni Ervasti, Jussi Vahtera, Mika Kivimaki, Jaana Pentti, Sakari Suominen, Marianna VirtanenAbstract:BACKGROUND: Although teaching is considered a high-stress profession, research on stress-related outcomes among teachers, such as Absence from work due to illness (i.e. Sickness Absence), remains scarce. It is possible that teachers are not a homogeneous group but include subgroups with particularly high risk of Sickness Absence, such as special education teachers. AIMS: To examine differences in Sickness Absence rates between special and general education teachers in a large cohort of 2291 Finnish lower secondary school teachers. METHODS: Register data on teachers' job titles, sociodemographic characteristics and Sickness Absence were obtained from 10 municipal employers' registers. Indices of Sickness Absence included rates of short-term (1-3 days) and long-term (>3 days) Absence spells during 2003-05. RESULTS: With multi-level models adjusted for individual- and school-level covariates, we found that although the absolute level of Sickness Absence was higher among women than among men, male special education teachers were at a 1.36-fold (95% CI: 1.15-1.61) increased risk of short-term and a 1.33-fold (95% CI: 1.01-1.76) increased risk of long-term Sickness Absence compared with male teachers in general education. Among women, there were no differences in Sickness Absence between special and general education teachers. CONCLUSIONS: Compared to male teachers in general education, male teachers in special education appear to have an excess risk of Absence from work due to illness. Future studies should examine the causes for this excess risk and determine the need for preventive interventions.
-
students school satisfaction as predictor of teachers Sickness Absence a prospective cohort study
WOS, 2011Co-Authors: Jenni Ervasti, Mika Kivimaki, Jaana Pentti, Sakari Suominen, Riikka Puusniekka, P Luopa, Kirsi Ahola, Jussi VahteraAbstract:Background: Although health is an important determinant of Sickness Absence, social relationships at the workplace may also affect levels of sick leaves. This study examined whether students’ self-assessed satisfaction with school predicted Sickness Absence among teachers in Finnish secondary schools. Methods: We measured school satisfaction of 17 033 students aged 14–16 years from 90 schools by a survey (the School Health Promotion Study) and aggregated school-specific scores of students’ school satisfaction. For analysis, we linked these school-level data to records of Sickness Absence in the survey year and the following year among 2364 teachers working in the same schools (the 10-Town Study). For Sickness Absence longer than 9 days, we obtained diagnoses from national health registers. Results: Multilevel Poisson and logistic regression models adjusted for relevant baseline covariates showed a rate ratio of 1.2 [95% confidence interval (95% CI): 1.0–1.5] for long-term (>3 days) Sickness Absence among teachers working in schools with two lowest thirds of student satisfaction compared with teachers in schools with high student satisfaction. The corresponding odds ratio (OR) was higher for Sickness Absence with a psychiatric diagnosis (OR 1.9, 95% CI: 1.1–3.2), more specifically, neurotic and stress-related disorders (OR 2.6, 95% CI: 1.2–5.9). Students’ school satisfaction was not associated with teachers’ short-term (1–3 days) sick leaves. Conclusions : These data suggest a link between social relationships at school, as indexed by students’ school satisfaction, and teachers’ sick leaves, with the strongest associations seen for Absences with mental health diagnoses.
-
Diagnosis-specific Sickness Absence and all-cause mortality in the GAZEL study.
J Epidemiol Community Health, 2009Co-Authors: Jane Ferrie, Jussi Vahtera, Kristina Alexanderson, Mika Kivimaki, Jenny Head, Hugo Westerlund, Maria Melchior, Anne Chevalier, Annette Leclerc, Marie ZinsAbstract:BACKGROUND: This study aims to examine diagnosis-specific Sickness Absence as a risk marker for all-cause mortality. METHODS: Prospective occupational cohort (the GAZEL study). Medically certified Sickness Absence spells >7 days for 15 diagnostic categories, 1990-1992, were examined in relation to all-cause mortality, January 1993-February 2007. The reference group for each diagnostic category was participants with no spell >7 days for that diagnosis. The participants were French public utility workers (5271 women and 13 964 men) aged 37-51 years in 1990, forming the GAZEL study. Over the follow-up period, there were 144 deaths in women and 758 in men. RESULTS: 7875 employees (41.0%) had at least one spell of Sickness Absence >7 days over the 3-year period. The commonest diagnoses were mental disorders, musculoskeletal diseases, respiratory diseases and external causes in both sexes; genitourinary diseases in women, and digestive and circulatory diseases in men. Of these common diagnoses, mental disorders in women, hazard ratio (95% confidence intervals) 1.24 (1.1 to 1.4), and mental disorders 1.35 (1.3 to 1.5), digestive diseases 1.29 (1.1 to 1.6) and circulatory diseases 1.35 (1.2 to 1.6) in men were associated with mortality after adjustment for age, employment grade and Sickness Absence in all other diagnostic categories. CONCLUSIONS: Employees with medically certified Absence spells of 1 week or more over a 3-year period had a 60% excess risk of early death. In women and men this excess risk was associated with some of the commonest diagnoses of Sickness Absence, in particular mental disorders. Sickness Absence for mental disorders may be a useful early indicator of groups at increased risk of fatal disease.
-
occupational burnout and medically certified Sickness Absence a population based study of finnish employees
Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 2008Co-Authors: Kirsi Ahola, Jussi Vahtera, Mika Kivimaki, Marianna Virtanen, Seppo Koskinen, Teija Honkonen, Jouko LonnqvistAbstract:Abstract Objective Occupational burnout is a common problem in working populations, but its association with Sickness Absence is poorly understood. The contribution of occupational burnout to medically certified Sickness Absence was examined in a population-based sample of employees. Methods A representative sample of 3151 Finnish employees aged 30–60 years participated in a comprehensive health study in 2000–2001, including an assessment of physician-diagnosed physical illnesses and Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV) mental disorders based on the Composite International Diagnostic Interview. Burnout was measured with the Maslach Burnout Inventory—General Survey. Sickness Absences longer than 9 days in 2000–2001 were extracted from a register of the Social Insurance Institution of Finland. Results The occurrence of medically certified Sickness Absence was more prevalent among employees with burnout than among those without burnout. After adjusting for sociodemographic factors and mental and physical disorders, the odds ratio of Sickness Absence for severe burnout was 6.9 [95% confidence interval (95% CI)=2.7–17.8] for men and 2.1 (95% CI=1.1–4.0) for women. Among employees with mental or physical disorders, severe burnout was associated with a 7.7-fold risk of Sickness Absence among men and with a 2.6-fold risk among women. The duration of Absence was related to burnout among men with Absences, for whom severe burnout accounted for 52 excess Sickness Absence days during the 2-year period after adjusting for sociodemographic factors, mental disorders, and physical illnesses. Conclusions Severe burnout is associated with a substantial excess risk of medically certified Sickness Absence among both men and women. This association is independent of prevalent mental disorders and physical illnesses.
Jenny Head - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
-
Lifestyle factors and risk of Sickness Absence from work : a multicohort study
The Lancet. Public health, 2018Co-Authors: Marianna Virtanen, Jenni Ervasti, Jenny Head, Tuula Oksanen, Paula Salo, Jaana Pentti, Anne Kouvonen, Ari Väänänen, Sakari Suominen, Markku KoskenvuoAbstract:Summary Background Lifestyle factors influence the risk of morbidity and mortality, but the extent to which they are associated with employees' Absence from work due to illness is unclear. We examined the relative contributions of smoking, alcohol consumption, high body-mass index, and low physical activity to diagnosis-specific Sickness Absence. Methods We did a multicohort study with individual-level data of participants of four cohorts from the UK, France, and Finland. Participants' responses to a lifestyle survey were linked to records of Sickness Absence episodes, typically lasting longer than 9 days; for each diagnostic category, the outcome was the total number of Sickness Absence days per year. We estimated the associations between lifestyle factors and Sickness Absence by calculating rate ratios for the number of Sickness Absence days per year and combining cohort-specific estimates with meta-analysis. The criteria for assessing the evidence included the strength of association, consistency across cohorts, robustness to adjustments and multiple testing, and impact assessment by use of population attributable fractions (PAF), with both internal lifestyle factor prevalence estimates and those obtained from European populations (PAFexternal). Findings For 74 296 participants, during 446 478 person-years at risk, the most common diagnoses for Sickness Absence were musculoskeletal diseases (70·9 days per 10 person-years), depressive disorders (26·5 days per 10 person-years), and external causes (such as injuries and poisonings; 12·8 days per 10 person-years). Being overweight (rate ratio [adjusted for age, sex, socioeconomic status, and chronic disease at baseline] 1·30, 95% CI 1·21–1·40; PAFexternal 8·9%) and low physical activity (1·23, 1·14–1·34; 7·8%) were associated with Absences due to musculoskeletal diseases; heavy episodic drinking (1·90, 1·41–2·56; 15·2%), smoking (1·70, 1·42–2·03; 11·8%), low physical activity (1·67, 1·42–1·96; 19·8%), and obesity (1·38, 1·11–1·71; 5·6%) were associated with Absences due to depressive disorders; heavy episodic drinking (1·64, 1·33–2·03; 11·3%), obesity (1·48, 1·27–1·72; 6·6%), smoking (1·35, 1·20–1·53; 6·3%), and being overweight (1·20, 1·08–1·33; 6·2%) were associated with Absences due to external causes; obesity (1·82, 1·40–2·36; 11·0%) and smoking (1·60, 1·30–1·98; 10·3%) were associated with Absences due to circulatory diseases; low physical activity (1·37, 1·25–1·49; 12·0%) and smoking (1·27, 1·16–1·40; 4·9%) were associated with Absences due to respiratory diseases; and obesity (1·67, 1·34–2·07; 9·7%) was associated with Absences due to digestive diseases. Interpretation Lifestyle factors are associated with Sickness Absence due to several diseases, but observational data cannot determine the nature of these associations. Future studies should investigate the cost-effectiveness of lifestyle interventions aimed at reducing Sickness Absence and the use of information on lifestyle for identifying groups at risk. Funding NordForsk, British Medical Research Council, Academy of Finland, Helsinki Institute of Life Sciences, and Economic and Social Research Council.
-
job strain and informal caregiving as predictors of long term Sickness Absence a longitudinal multi cohort study
Scandinavian Journal of Work Environment & Health, 2017Co-Authors: Jesper Mortensen, Kristina Alexanderson, Reiner Rugulies, Mika Kivimaki, Jenny Head, Marcel Goldberg, Nadya Dich, Theis Lange, Ida E H Madsen, Jussi VahteraAbstract:Objectives The aim of this study was to investigate the individual, joint and interactive effects of job strain and informal caregiving on long-term Sickness Absence with special attention to gender differences. Methods The study comprised a prospective cohort study of 6798 working adults from France, 14 727 from Finland, and 5275 from the UK. A total of 26 800 participants, age 52 (interquartile range 47–56) years participated in the study. Job strain was assessed using the demand–control model. Informal caregiving was defined as care for a sick, disabled, or elderly person. Long-term Sickness Absence spells defined as Absence >14 consecutive days were registered during two years follow-up. We used recurrent-events Cox regression in random-effects meta-analyses. Results A total of 12% men and 21% women had ≥1 long-term Sickness Absence spell. Among women, both high job strain [hazard ratio (HR) 1.08, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.00–1.17] and informal caregiving (HR 1.13, 95% CI 1.04–1.23) were associated with a modestly higher risk of Sickness Absence. Women doubly exposed to high job strain and informal caregiving also showed a moderately higher risk of Sickness Absence (HR 1.20, 95% CI 1.03–1.41), but the excess risk was not more than expected from joint exposure to caregiving and job strain. Neither job strain nor informal caregiving predicted Sickness Absence for men. Conclusions High job strain and informal caregiving predicted long-term Sickness Absence among women. However there was no noticeable interaction in the presence of both exposures.
-
impact of common mental disorders on Sickness Absence in an occupational cohort study
Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 2011Co-Authors: Stephen Stansfeld, Rebecca Fuhrer, Jenny HeadAbstract:Objectives Common mental disorders are associated with impaired functioning and Sickness Absence. We examine whether sub-clinical as well as clinical psychiatric morbidity predict long spells of Sickness Absence for both psychiatric and non-psychiatric illness. We also examine whether recent common mental disorders and those present on two occasions have a stronger association with Sickness Absence than less recent and single episodes of disorder. Methods Common mental disorders measured by the General Health Questionnaire were linked with long spells of Sickness Absence in 5104 civil servants from the longitudinal Whitehall II Study. Negative binomial models were used to estimate rate ratios for long spells of Sickness Absence with and without a psychiatric diagnosis (mean follow-up 5.3 years). Results Clinical but not sub-threshold common mental disorders were associated with increased risk of long spells of psychiatric Sickness Absence for men, but not for women, after adjusting for covariates (rate ratios (RR) 1.67, 95% CI 1.13 to 2.46). Risk of psychiatric Sickness Absence was associated with recent common mental disorders (RR 2.08, 95% CI 1.29 to 3.35) and disorder present on two occasions (RR 1.65, 95% CI 0.98 to 2.71) for men only. Common mental disorders were not associated with increased risk of non-psychiatric Sickness Absence after adjustment for covariates. Conclusions Identification and treatment of common mental disorders may reduce the economic burden of long term psychiatric Sickness Absence. Our results suggest that public health and clinical services should focus on the identification of workers with elevated mental health symptoms. Studies are needed of the efficacy of early identification and management of mental health symptoms for the prevention of long spells of Sickness Absence.
-
Diagnosis-specific Sickness Absence and all-cause mortality in the GAZEL study.
J Epidemiol Community Health, 2009Co-Authors: Jane Ferrie, Jussi Vahtera, Kristina Alexanderson, Mika Kivimaki, Jenny Head, Hugo Westerlund, Maria Melchior, Anne Chevalier, Annette Leclerc, Marie ZinsAbstract:BACKGROUND: This study aims to examine diagnosis-specific Sickness Absence as a risk marker for all-cause mortality. METHODS: Prospective occupational cohort (the GAZEL study). Medically certified Sickness Absence spells >7 days for 15 diagnostic categories, 1990-1992, were examined in relation to all-cause mortality, January 1993-February 2007. The reference group for each diagnostic category was participants with no spell >7 days for that diagnosis. The participants were French public utility workers (5271 women and 13 964 men) aged 37-51 years in 1990, forming the GAZEL study. Over the follow-up period, there were 144 deaths in women and 758 in men. RESULTS: 7875 employees (41.0%) had at least one spell of Sickness Absence >7 days over the 3-year period. The commonest diagnoses were mental disorders, musculoskeletal diseases, respiratory diseases and external causes in both sexes; genitourinary diseases in women, and digestive and circulatory diseases in men. Of these common diagnoses, mental disorders in women, hazard ratio (95% confidence intervals) 1.24 (1.1 to 1.4), and mental disorders 1.35 (1.3 to 1.5), digestive diseases 1.29 (1.1 to 1.6) and circulatory diseases 1.35 (1.2 to 1.6) in men were associated with mortality after adjustment for age, employment grade and Sickness Absence in all other diagnostic categories. CONCLUSIONS: Employees with medically certified Absence spells of 1 week or more over a 3-year period had a 60% excess risk of early death. In women and men this excess risk was associated with some of the commonest diagnoses of Sickness Absence, in particular mental disorders. Sickness Absence for mental disorders may be a useful early indicator of groups at increased risk of fatal disease.
-
social support and psychiatric Sickness Absence a prospective study of british civil servants
Psychological Medicine, 1997Co-Authors: Stephen Stansfeld, Jenny Head, M J Shipley, E G S Rael, Michael MarmotAbstract:Background. Studies on the direct and buffering effects of social support have not examined psychiatric Sickness Absence and few studies have considered support both at home and at work. This study addresses prospectively the effects of chronic stressors and social supports, at home and at work, on psychiatric Sickness Absence rates. Methods. Sociodemographic factors, health and social support were measured at baseline, and short and long spells of Sickness Absence were measured prospectively over a 5-year period. The participants were a subsample of 4202 male and female civil servants, aged 35-55 years at baseline, from an occupational cohort, the Whitehall II Study, who completed detailed social support questions. Results. Support from colleagues and supervisors at work is related to lower risk of short spells of psychiatric Sickness Absence, particularly for those also receiving high levels of negative aspects of close relationships from their closest person outside work. Negative aspects of close relationships from the closest person increase the risk of taking long spells of psychiatric Sickness Absence in men. High levels of material problems increase the risk of short spells of Sickness Absence. Conclusions. Negative aspects of close relationships may have an aetiological role in non-psychotic psychiatric disorder. Social support at work appears to protect against short spells of psychiatric Sickness Absence. This potentially implies that levels of short spells of Absence might be reduced by increasing support at work. Conversely, emotional support at home may influenced Absence-related behaviour and encourage a person to take Absence at a time of illness.
Marianna Virtanen - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
-
alcohol use and Sickness Absence due to all causes and mental or musculoskeletal disorders a nationally representative study
BMC Public Health, 2018Co-Authors: Leena Kailakangas, Marianna Virtanen, Tea Lallukka, Tommi Harkanen, Aki Koskinen, Paivi LeinoarjasAbstract:Previous studies have not distinguished between different alcohol-use histories, which could have contributed to the current inconsistent evidence regarding the relationship between alcohol use and subsequent Sickness Absence. We thus examined alcohol use and subsequent diagnosis-specific Sickness Absence in groups with different levels of alcohol use, as well as in lifelong abstainers, former drinkers, and people with clinical alcohol use disorders. The data of the population-based Health 2000 Survey (BRIF8901) of 3666 Finns aged 30–55 were linked with national registers on medically certified Sickness Absences lasting for > 10 working days (long-term) for all causes (2000 − 2010) and for mental or musculoskeletal disorders (2004-2010), as well as with registers on pensions and death (2000-2010). Alcohol use was assessed by questionnaire. Chronic somatic diseases were evaluated at baseline in a clinical examination, and common mental and alcohol use disorders using the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI). Cox regression analyses were conducted with censoring for death and retirement from work. During an average 10-year follow-up, 56.0% of the participants had at least one long-term Sickness Absence period. Compared with light drinkers, those having an alcohol use disorder had increased risk of all-cause Sickness Absence (HR = 1.27; 95% CI = 1.04 − 1.54) and Sickness Absence due to mental disorders (HR = 2.16; 95% CI = 1.39 − 3.35), when somatic and mental disorders as well as demographic, lifestyle-related and occupational factors at baseline were accounted for. Lifelong abstainers did not differ from light drinkers. Also high-volume drinking (HR = 1.52; 95% CI 1.03 − 2.25) and former drinking (HR = 1.57; 95% CI = 1.15 − 2.15) were associated with long-term Sickness Absence due to mental disorders. Alcohol use was not predictive of Sickness Absence due to musculoskeletal disorders. These results highlight the need to distinguish between former drinking and lifelong abstinence, as only former drinking was associated with Sickness Absence. Alcohol use disorder and high-volume drinking were strongly predictive of Sickness Absence due to mental disorders. Identifying people with excessive alcohol use e.g. in occupational health care, and mapping and supporting their mental health may help in preventing Sickness Absences.
-
Lifestyle factors and risk of Sickness Absence from work : a multicohort study
The Lancet. Public health, 2018Co-Authors: Marianna Virtanen, Jenni Ervasti, Jenny Head, Tuula Oksanen, Paula Salo, Jaana Pentti, Anne Kouvonen, Ari Väänänen, Sakari Suominen, Markku KoskenvuoAbstract:Summary Background Lifestyle factors influence the risk of morbidity and mortality, but the extent to which they are associated with employees' Absence from work due to illness is unclear. We examined the relative contributions of smoking, alcohol consumption, high body-mass index, and low physical activity to diagnosis-specific Sickness Absence. Methods We did a multicohort study with individual-level data of participants of four cohorts from the UK, France, and Finland. Participants' responses to a lifestyle survey were linked to records of Sickness Absence episodes, typically lasting longer than 9 days; for each diagnostic category, the outcome was the total number of Sickness Absence days per year. We estimated the associations between lifestyle factors and Sickness Absence by calculating rate ratios for the number of Sickness Absence days per year and combining cohort-specific estimates with meta-analysis. The criteria for assessing the evidence included the strength of association, consistency across cohorts, robustness to adjustments and multiple testing, and impact assessment by use of population attributable fractions (PAF), with both internal lifestyle factor prevalence estimates and those obtained from European populations (PAFexternal). Findings For 74 296 participants, during 446 478 person-years at risk, the most common diagnoses for Sickness Absence were musculoskeletal diseases (70·9 days per 10 person-years), depressive disorders (26·5 days per 10 person-years), and external causes (such as injuries and poisonings; 12·8 days per 10 person-years). Being overweight (rate ratio [adjusted for age, sex, socioeconomic status, and chronic disease at baseline] 1·30, 95% CI 1·21–1·40; PAFexternal 8·9%) and low physical activity (1·23, 1·14–1·34; 7·8%) were associated with Absences due to musculoskeletal diseases; heavy episodic drinking (1·90, 1·41–2·56; 15·2%), smoking (1·70, 1·42–2·03; 11·8%), low physical activity (1·67, 1·42–1·96; 19·8%), and obesity (1·38, 1·11–1·71; 5·6%) were associated with Absences due to depressive disorders; heavy episodic drinking (1·64, 1·33–2·03; 11·3%), obesity (1·48, 1·27–1·72; 6·6%), smoking (1·35, 1·20–1·53; 6·3%), and being overweight (1·20, 1·08–1·33; 6·2%) were associated with Absences due to external causes; obesity (1·82, 1·40–2·36; 11·0%) and smoking (1·60, 1·30–1·98; 10·3%) were associated with Absences due to circulatory diseases; low physical activity (1·37, 1·25–1·49; 12·0%) and smoking (1·27, 1·16–1·40; 4·9%) were associated with Absences due to respiratory diseases; and obesity (1·67, 1·34–2·07; 9·7%) was associated with Absences due to digestive diseases. Interpretation Lifestyle factors are associated with Sickness Absence due to several diseases, but observational data cannot determine the nature of these associations. Future studies should investigate the cost-effectiveness of lifestyle interventions aimed at reducing Sickness Absence and the use of information on lifestyle for identifying groups at risk. Funding NordForsk, British Medical Research Council, Academy of Finland, Helsinki Institute of Life Sciences, and Economic and Social Research Council.
-
Sickness Absence among finnish special and general education teachers
Occupational Medicine, 2011Co-Authors: Jenni Ervasti, Jussi Vahtera, Mika Kivimaki, Jaana Pentti, Sakari Suominen, Marianna VirtanenAbstract:BACKGROUND: Although teaching is considered a high-stress profession, research on stress-related outcomes among teachers, such as Absence from work due to illness (i.e. Sickness Absence), remains scarce. It is possible that teachers are not a homogeneous group but include subgroups with particularly high risk of Sickness Absence, such as special education teachers. AIMS: To examine differences in Sickness Absence rates between special and general education teachers in a large cohort of 2291 Finnish lower secondary school teachers. METHODS: Register data on teachers' job titles, sociodemographic characteristics and Sickness Absence were obtained from 10 municipal employers' registers. Indices of Sickness Absence included rates of short-term (1-3 days) and long-term (>3 days) Absence spells during 2003-05. RESULTS: With multi-level models adjusted for individual- and school-level covariates, we found that although the absolute level of Sickness Absence was higher among women than among men, male special education teachers were at a 1.36-fold (95% CI: 1.15-1.61) increased risk of short-term and a 1.33-fold (95% CI: 1.01-1.76) increased risk of long-term Sickness Absence compared with male teachers in general education. Among women, there were no differences in Sickness Absence between special and general education teachers. CONCLUSIONS: Compared to male teachers in general education, male teachers in special education appear to have an excess risk of Absence from work due to illness. Future studies should examine the causes for this excess risk and determine the need for preventive interventions.
-
occupational burnout and medically certified Sickness Absence a population based study of finnish employees
Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 2008Co-Authors: Kirsi Ahola, Jussi Vahtera, Mika Kivimaki, Marianna Virtanen, Seppo Koskinen, Teija Honkonen, Jouko LonnqvistAbstract:Abstract Objective Occupational burnout is a common problem in working populations, but its association with Sickness Absence is poorly understood. The contribution of occupational burnout to medically certified Sickness Absence was examined in a population-based sample of employees. Methods A representative sample of 3151 Finnish employees aged 30–60 years participated in a comprehensive health study in 2000–2001, including an assessment of physician-diagnosed physical illnesses and Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV) mental disorders based on the Composite International Diagnostic Interview. Burnout was measured with the Maslach Burnout Inventory—General Survey. Sickness Absences longer than 9 days in 2000–2001 were extracted from a register of the Social Insurance Institution of Finland. Results The occurrence of medically certified Sickness Absence was more prevalent among employees with burnout than among those without burnout. After adjusting for sociodemographic factors and mental and physical disorders, the odds ratio of Sickness Absence for severe burnout was 6.9 [95% confidence interval (95% CI)=2.7–17.8] for men and 2.1 (95% CI=1.1–4.0) for women. Among employees with mental or physical disorders, severe burnout was associated with a 7.7-fold risk of Sickness Absence among men and with a 2.6-fold risk among women. The duration of Absence was related to burnout among men with Absences, for whom severe burnout accounted for 52 excess Sickness Absence days during the 2-year period after adjusting for sociodemographic factors, mental disorders, and physical illnesses. Conclusions Severe burnout is associated with a substantial excess risk of medically certified Sickness Absence among both men and women. This association is independent of prevalent mental disorders and physical illnesses.
-
job strain and psychologic distress influence on Sickness Absence among finnish employees
American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 2007Co-Authors: Marianna Virtanen, Jussi Vahtera, Mika Kivimaki, Marko Elovainio, Jaana Pentti, Teija HonkonenAbstract:Background Work stress is a recognized risk factor for mental health disorders, but it is not known whether work stress is associated with the morbidity among individuals with psychologic distress. Another shortcoming in earlier research is related to common method bias—the use of individual perceptions of both work stress and psychologic distress. This prospective study was assessed using the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12), which identified psychologic distress as a predictor of Sickness Absence and the effect of work-unit measures of job strain on Sickness Absence among cases. Methods Survey data were collected on work stress, indicated by high job strain, for a cohort of public sector employees (6663 women, 1323 men), aged 18 to 62 at baseline in 2000–2002, identified as GHQ-12 cases. Coworker assessments of job strain were used to control for bias due to response style. A 2-year follow-up included recorded long-term (>7 days) medically certified Sickness Absence. Adjustments were made for age, socioeconomic position, baseline chronic physical disease, smoking, and heavy alcohol consumption. Results Cases with psychologic distress had 1.3 to 1.4 times higher incidence of long-term Sickness Absence than noncases. Among cases, high job strain predicted Sickness Absence (hazard ratio 1.17 in women, 1.41 in men). The significant effect of job strain on Sickness Absence was found among workers in high socioeconomic positions (hazard ratio 1.54 for women, 1.58 for men) but not among employees in low socioeconomic positions (hazard ratio 1.06 for women, 1.31 for men). Conclusions Psychologic distress has an independent effect on medically certified Sickness Absence. The identification of employees with high job strain and the improvement of their working conditions should be considered as an important target in the prevention of adverse consequences of psychologic distress.
Hermann Burr - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
-
transitions between Sickness Absence work unemployment and disability in denmark 2004 2008
Scandinavian Journal of Work Environment & Health, 2012Co-Authors: Jacob Pedersen, Jakob B Bjorner, Hermann Burr, Karl Bang ChristensenAbstract:Objectives Studies of labor market outcomes like Sickness Absence are usually restricted to a single outcome. This paper investigates the use of multi-state models for studying multiple transitions between sick-listing, work, unemployment, and disability pension by analyzing longitudinal register data. Every person sick-listed in Denmark during 2004 was followed until the spring of 2008. Methods A multi-state model was used to analyze transitions between four states: work, Sickness Absence, unemployment, and disability pension. The first three are possible recurrent states. The predictor variables include age group, gender, geographical region, chronic disease, temporary disease, self-employment Sickness Absence insurance, and pregnancy. The relative effects of previous transitions were also studied. Results Risk of transition from Sickness Absence to disability pension differs with age and geographical region. Those aged 20–29 years have an increased risk of transitioning from work to Sickness Absence and from Sickness Absence to unemployment. The self-employed have increased risk of transitioning from work to Sickness Absence. Those with chronic disease have increased risk of Sickness Absence, but also a greater probability of returning to work. Previous Sickness Absence increases the risk of transitioning from work to Sickness Absence, from Sickness Absence to unemployment, from work to unemployment, and from work to disability pension. Conclusions The multi-state model is an effective way of analyzing register data and the transitions between Sickness Absence, work, unemployment, and disability pension. These methods can be used to develop better predictive models of Sickness Absence, return to work, unemployment, and disability.
-
a prospective cohort study on musculoskeletal risk factors for long term Sickness Absence among healthcare workers in eldercare
International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health, 2012Co-Authors: Lars L Andersen, Hermann Burr, Thomas Mandel Clausen, Ole Steen Mortensen, Andreas HoltermannAbstract:Purpose The socioeconomic burden of Sickness Absence from musculoskeletal disorders is considerable. However, knowledge about the risk of Sickness Absence from pain in different body regions among specific job groups is needed to more efficiently target preventative strategies. This study estimates the risk of long-term Sickness Absence (LTSA) from pain in different body regions among healthcare workers.
-
prospective study of physical and psychosocial risk factors for Sickness Absence
Occupational Medicine, 2006Co-Authors: Merete Labriola, Thomas Lund, Hermann BurrAbstract:Aim To investigate the associations between psychosocial and physical work environment exposures and Sickness Absence from work taking into account health, health behaviour and employer characteristics known to affect Sickness Absence. Methods In 1995, a random sample of 5574 employees aged 18-64 years were interviewed. In 2000, 3792 of those still employed supplied data on days absent from work the year preceding the date of follow-up. Associations between risk factors at baseline and Sickness Absence at follow-up were studied. Logistic regression analyses were performed. Results Sickness Absence was associated with working with arms lifted/hands twisted, extreme bending/stooping of the back/neck, repetitive monotonous work, low skill discretion, low decision authority, obesity, current and former smoking, poor self-rated health, female gender, increasing age and public employer. The aetiological fraction attributable to differences in work environment exposures was calculated to be 40%. Conclusion The study suggests a potential for reducing Sickness Absence through multifactorial interventions towards smoking, obesity, physical and psychosocial work environment exposures. The study showed that differences in work environment exposures account for 40% of the cases of high Sickness Absence.
-
depressive symptoms and the risk of long term Sickness Absence a prospective study among 4747 employees in denmark
Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 2006Co-Authors: Ute Bultmann, Reiner Rugulies, Karl Bang Christensen, Merete Labriola, Thomas Lund, Hermann BurrAbstract:The aim of this paper is to examine the impact of depressive symptoms on long-term Sickness Absence in a representative sample of the Danish workforce. This prospective study is based on 4,747 male and female employees, participating in the Danish Work Environment Cohort Study. Depressive symptoms were measured at baseline. Data on Sickness Absence were obtained from a national register on social transfer payments. Onset of long-term Sickness Absence was followed up for 78 weeks. The cumulative 78 weeks incidence for the onset of long-term Sickness Absence was 6.5% in men and 8.9% in women. Both men and women with severe depressive symptoms (≤52 points) were at increased risk of long-term Sickness Absence during follow-up (men: HR = 2.69; 95% CI: 1.18, 6.12; women: HR = 2.27; 95% CI: 1.25, 4.11), after adjustment for demographic, health related, and lifestyle factors. When we divided the depressive symptom scores into quartiles, we found no significant effects with regard to long-term Sickness Absence. Severe depressive symptoms, as measured with the MHI-5, increased the risk of future long-term Sickness Absence in the general Danish working population. However, effects were not linear, but occurred mostly only in those employees with high levels of depressive symptoms.
-
psychosocial work environment exposures as risk factors for long term Sickness Absence among danish employees results from dwecs dream
Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 2005Co-Authors: Thomas Lund, Karl Bang Christensen, Ute Bultmann, Merete Labriola, Ebbe Villadsen, Hermann BurrAbstract:Objective: This study examines effects of psychosocial risk factors on long-term Sickness Absence, and investigates possible interactions between psychosocial and physical work environment risk factors. Methods: A total of 5357 employees were interviewed in 2000 regarding work environment and followed up during the proceeding 1.5 years regarding onset of long-term Sickness Absence. Results: Long-term Sickness Absence among female employees was associated with role conflict, low reward, and poor management quality. Demands for hiding emotions and high emotional demands predicted long-term Sickness Absence among men. No significant interactions between psychosocial and physical exposures were found for female or male employees. Conclusions: The study suggests a potential for reducing long-term Sickness Absence through interventions targeted toward reducing role conflict, and improving reward and management quality among female employees, and through reducing emotional demands and demands for hiding emotions among male employees.
