The Influence of Social Support and Social Integration Factors on Return to Work Outcomes for Individuals with Work-Related Injuries: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Purpose In occupational rehabilitation, the biopsychosocial model endorses the role of social factors in worker recovery. We conducted a systematic review to explore three questions examining the role of social support for the return-to-work (RTW) of individuals with work-related injury: (1) What are the worker-identified social barriers and facilitators in RTW; (2) What is the relationship between social factors and RTW; and (3) What is the effectiveness of social interventions for RTW. Methods Systematic searches of six databases were conducted for each research question. These identified 11 studies meeting inclusion criteria for Research Question 1, and 12 studies for Research Question 2. No studies were identified that met inclusion criteria for Research Question 3. A narrative synthesis approach was used to analyse the included studies. Results Research Question 1 identified five themes in social barriers and facilitators to RTW, including contact / communication, person-centred approaches, mutual trust, reaction to injury , and social relationships . Research Question 2 identified moderate support for reaction to injury and social integration / functioning as predictors of RTW and weak evidence for co-worker support . Four studies reported significant associations between social factors and RTW, six reported mixed findings with at least one significant social predictor, and two found no significant relationships. However, conclusions were limited by the inconsistency in measurement of social factors. Conclusions Our findings indicate that social support and integration may influence RTW following work-related injury, and highlights the need for further systematic examination of social factors in the field of occupational rehabilitation.

Socio-economic disparities and returning to work following an injury

“…A previous study showed that post-injury rehabilitation was quicker among the those reporting strong social relationships [1]. Family support may serve as a facilitator for RTW, either due to practical assistance (e.g., driving the injured worker to work or appointments) or to emotional support [38]. In the current study, the probability of married workers (with and without children) to not RTW was lower in comparison to single employees.…”

“…Multidisciplinary intervention programs focusing on RTW following an injury have proven effective [38,[45][46][47]. Such programs, which include occupational rehabilitation, social and psychological support as well as monitor the ability to RTW, have shown excellent results in reducing the expenditure of disability allowances in Sweden, Britain and Holland [48].…”

“…The multivariate logistic regression model a for predicting not RTW within 1 month, 1 year and 2 years, by demographic and injury characteristics among aged[35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42][43][44] …”

Social prescribing as an intervention for people with work-related injuries and psychosocial difficulties in Australia

“…Compensation and income support processes operate in adversarial and scrutinising ways, and engaging in these has been shown to create stress and negatively impact mental health, functional abilities, social inclusion, and quality of life [7,8] . Receiving inadequate care or support after a workplace injury is associated with increased risk of psychosocial difficulties in returning to work [9,10] . In-terventions that act to increase individual empowerment and psychosocial wellbeing may increase resilience in engaging with needed compensatory, health and welfare systems, as well as promote quicker recovery from the workplace injury itself [7] .…”

Assessing significant others’ cognitions and behavioral responses in occupational health care for workers with a chronic disease

“…Significant others (SOs), like partners, family members or friends, can play an important role in work and health outcomes of individuals with a chronic disease [1][2][3][4]. SOs can be an important resource to help individuals cope effectively with a chronic disease and to manage their working life [1,[4][5][6], and may therefore be important facilitators of work participation.…”