Barriers and Facilitators for Return to Work from the Perspective of Workers with Common Mental Disorders with Short, Medium and Long-Term Sickness Absence: A Longitudinal Qualitative Study.
Margot C W Joosen, Marjolein Lugtenberg, Iris Arends and 6 others
PMID 34580811WHAT IT FOUND
Workers with mental health disorders blamed sickness absence on work pressure and poor support, not their diagnoses.
Long-term absence linked to unfavourable conditions and reactive coping, while short-term absence involved favourable conditions and proactive recovery.
Key findings
01Workers attributed sickness absence primarily to high work pressure and unwanted work changes rather than their mental health conditions.
02Barriers to return to work included inadequate work adjustments, poor relationships with supervisors, and insufficient guidance from occupational health professionals.
03Workers with long-term absence experienced unfavourable working conditions and showed more reactive recovery behaviour compared to those with short-term absence.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The study only captured the worker's perspective, excluding employers and occupational health professionals. Participants were predominantly female and highly educated, which may not represent the broader population. The sample size was small and qualitative, limiting generalisability to other settings or populations.
Declared interests
Funding was provided by the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health. The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that treating the mental health diagnosis alone will resolve sickness absence. The study found that workers attributed their absence to work conditions and poor support, not their disorders, so clinical interventions that ignore workplace factors may fail.