The Associations Between Illness Perceptions and Expectations About Return to Work of Workers With Chronic Diseases and Their Significant Others: A Dyadic Analysis.
N C Snippen, H J de Vries, C A M Roelen and 2 others
PMID 35978150WHAT IT FOUND
Workers on sick leave and their partners or family members shared similar views about the illness and the worker's return to work.
More negative illness perceptions in either person linked to lower expectations of returning to work within six months for both.
Key findings
01Illness perceptions and return-to-work expectations were strongly correlated between workers and their significant others, indicating these views are shared rather than independent.
02Negative illness perceptions held by either the worker or the significant other were associated with lower expectations about the worker returning to full work within six months.
03Significant others' beliefs about the worker's personal control over the illness were linked to both the worker's and the significant other's own return-to-work expectations, whereas the worker's own beliefs about personal control were not.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The cross-sectional design prevents any conclusions about causality; it is unknown whether illness perceptions drive return-to-work expectations or vice versa. The sample was older, more often male, and had higher rates of musculoskeletal and mental illness compared to a representative cohort of sick-listed workers, which may limit generalisability. Participants reported very high relationship quality, suggesting that dyads with strained relationships may be underrepresented. A large number of workers who completed the questionnaire were excluded because their significant other did not participate, raising potential selection bias.
Declared interests
The study was funded by Instituut Gak, a non-profit organization. The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that changing the worker's illness perceptions alone will improve their return-to-work expectations. The study found that the significant other's perceptions, particularly regarding the worker's personal control, were also strongly linked to expectations, and the cross-sectional design cannot prove that altering these perceptions causes better outcomes.