Women's perceived work environment after stress-related rehabilitation: experiences from the ReDO project.Wästberg, Birgitta; Erlandsson, Lena-Karin; Eklund, Mona Women's perceived work environment after stress-related rehabilitation: experiences from the ReDO project. Disability and Rehabilitation, 38(6), 528-534. DOI: 10.3109/09638288.2015.1046567 General rights Copyright and moral rights for the publications made accessible in the public portal are retained by the authors and/or other copyright owners and it is a condition of accessing publications that users recognise and abide by the legal requirements associated with these rights.• Users may download and print one copy of any publication from the public portal for the purpose of private study or research.• You may not further distribute the material or use it for any profit-making activity or commercial gain • You may freely distribute the URL identifying the publication in the public portal
AbstractPurpose: The study aimed to investigate a) if women's perceptions of their work environment changed during a 16-week rehabilitation period and at a 12-month follow-up; b) whether such changes were related to outcomes in terms of return to work, well-being and valued occupations.Methods: Eighty-four gainfully employed women on sick-leave due to stress-related disorders responded to instruments assessing perceptions of the work environment, well-being (selfesteem, self-mastery, quality of life, perceived stress, self-rated health) and perceived occupational value. Data about return to work were collected from registers. Non-parametric statistics were used.Results: The increase in the women's ratings of their work environment was non-significant between baseline and completed rehabilitation but was statistically significant between baseline and the 12-month follow-up. No relationships were found between changes in perceptions of the work environment and outcomes after the rehabilitation. At the follow-up, however, there were associations between perceived work environment changes in a positive direction and return to work; improved self-esteem, self-mastery, quality of life, perceived occupational value and self-rated health; and reduced stress.Conclusion: It seems important to consider the work environment in rehabilitation for stressrelated problems, and a follow-up appears warranted to detect changes and associations not visible immediately after rehabilitation.Perceptions of work environment 3
Implications for RehabilitationWork environment Perceptions of the work environment seem important for return to work, although other factors are likely to contribute as well. Perceptions of the work environment are associated with several aspects of well-being. When developing rehabilitation interventions, a focus on the clients' perceptions of their work environment seems vital.