The Function of Occupational Activity for Health as Perceived by Chronically Ill People

Abstract

Existing studies confirm the benefits of employment for chronically ill persons’ health, but few studies so far have delved into how they themselves perceive employment in relation to their health. There is also a paucity of information about individual factors influencing the formation of their perceptions. This study sought to determine differences between chronically ill persons with and without jobs regarding their perceptions of the function of employment for the physical, mental and social dimensions of health, as well as how their occupational activity or inactivity moderates the associations between the perception of work as health beneficial or health adverse and selected individual characteristics, such as self-efficacy, acceptance of illness, actualisation of self, and psychosocial problems. The study involved 80 adults with chronic illnesses and was conducted using the following psychological tools: the WH Scale, the Generalized Self-Efficacy Scale, the Acceptance of Illness Scale, the Actualization of Self Scale and the Psychosocial Problems of Persons with Chronic Illness Scale. It has been found that the way in which chronically ill persons perceive the function of employment for health is unrelated to whether or not they have a job, and that occupational activity moderates associations between the sense of self-efficacy and the perception of work as benefitting health.

Effects of the Need for Support From the Workplace and Resilience on Psychological Distress in Japanese Employees

“…2 The evidence for whether the prevalence of depressive symptoms differs between those working with and without chronic disease has been mixed. 7,8 These inconsistent results may be explained by the work environment of workers with chronic diseases. Self-disclosure (ie, revealing personal information about oneself ), which is the first step in receiving work-related accommodation from the employer, is necessary for employees to access practical and social support that will help them effectively manage chronic conditions and perform work duties.…”

“…The evidence for whether the prevalence of depressive symptoms differs between those working with and without chronic disease has been mixed 7,8 . These inconsistent results may be explained by the work environment of workers with chronic diseases.…”