Lisa Mather1, Gunnar Bergström, Victoria Blom, Pia Svedberg. 1. From the Division of Insurance Medicine (Ms Mather, and Drs Blom and Svedberg), Department of Clinical Neuroscience; Division of Intervention and Implementation Research (Dr Bergström), Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet; Centre for Occupational and Environmental Medicine (Dr Bergström), Stockholm County Council; and The Swedish School of Sport and Health Sciences (Dr Blom), Stockholm, Sweden.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether psychosocial work environment and health behaviors are risk factors for sick leave due to mental disorders, and whether familial confounding (genetics and shared environment) explains the associations. METHODS: Respondents (n = 11,729), given to complete a questionnaire in 2004 to 2006, were followed up approximately 5 years for sick leave spells due to mental disorders, using national registry data. Data were analyzed using logistic regression, and conditional logistic regression for twin pairs discordant for sick leave (cotwin control). RESULTS: High job demands, job strain, and iso-strain were independent risk factors for sick leave due to mental disorders. Familial factors seem to be of importance in the associations between job support, smoking, a combination of unhealthy behaviors and sick leave. CONCLUSIONS: Improving the psychosocial work environment may be effective in preventing sick leave due to mental disorders.
OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether psychosocial work environment and health behaviors are risk factors for sick leave due to mental disorders, and whether familial confounding (genetics and shared environment) explains the associations. METHODS: Respondents (n = 11,729), given to complete a questionnaire in 2004 to 2006, were followed up approximately 5 years for sick leave spells due to mental disorders, using national registry data. Data were analyzed using logistic regression, and conditional logistic regression for twin pairs discordant for sick leave (cotwin control). RESULTS: High job demands, job strain, and iso-strain were independent risk factors for sick leave due to mental disorders. Familial factors seem to be of importance in the associations between job support, smoking, a combination of unhealthy behaviors and sick leave. CONCLUSIONS: Improving the psychosocial work environment may be effective in preventing sick leave due to mental disorders.