Health in women on long-term sick leave because of pain or mental illness

Abstract

Mental illness and pain are common causes of long-term sick absence and major difficulties in vocational rehabilitation. The aim of this study was to investigate health in a group of women with pain or mental illness who had exhausted their days of sickness benefit. This cross-sectional study uses baseline data from 355 women on long-term sick leave participating in controlled intervention studies aiming at returning to work. The study population filled in a written questionnaire with questions of self-rated health and sleep quality and validated indexes of mental health, satisfaction with life and general self-efficacy. Clinical psychiatric screening was performed on 230 individuals. The study population had a mean age of 48.8 years (SD 8.4), with an average time on sick leave of 7.8 years (SD 3.2). Self-rated health and sleep quality was poor compared with other populations. In all, 80.1% had at least one psychiatric diagnosis according to the psychiatric screening, and the average numbers of psychiatric diagnoses were 2.2 (SD 1.9). Foreign-born women showed significantly higher levels of mental illness, poorer self-rated health and sleep quality and lower self-efficacy and life satisfaction than native Swedish women. Women with long sick leave because of mental illness and/or pain have poor self-rated health and sleep quality, high prevalence of mental illness and low self-efficacy and life satisfaction. Psychiatric screening suggests more extensive mental illness than what was stated on the sick leave certificates. The health of foreign-born women seems to be worse than that of native Swedish women.

Predictors of self-efficacy in women on long-term sick leave

“…Self-efficacy was generally low, especially among foreignborn women, and they also reported overall poorer health than native Swedish women (Lytsy et al, 2015). A literature review concludes that mental health is poorer in foreign-born populations, with a higher prevalence of depressive symptoms, and that migrants from refugee countries had a higher prevalence of anxiety than native Swedes (Gilliver et al, 2014).…”

Effectiveness of two vocational rehabilitation programmes in women with long-term sick leave due to pain syndrome or mental illness: 1-year follow-up of a randomized controlled trial

“…Other studies have used the study population to describe baseline health measures (26) and investigate predictors of self-efficacy (27). The effect of the interventions on different aspects of health will be published separately.…”

Internet‐based cognitive behaviour therapy and physical exercise – Effects studied by automated telephone assessments in mental ill‐health patients; a randomized controlled trial

“…The sample in this study seems to be representative for mental ill‐health patients in primary care based on age, sex, and diagnosis (Lejtzèn, Sundquist, Sundquist, & Li, ), and based on the average score on OQ‐45 of 84.4 at baseline in comparison with previous studies in United States and the Netherlands where the clinical samples initially scored 69–83 (four different studies) and 79.5, respectively (de Jong et al ., ; Lambert, Harmon, Slade, Whipple, & Hawkins, ). Stress‐related problems, sleep disturbances, and depression are common reasons for attending primary care and these patients are at risk for sick leave (Lytsy, Larsson, & Anderzén, ). Individual suffering is considerable, and the cost for the society is a growing problem.…”