The Predictive Value of Return to Work Self-efficacy for Return to Work Among Employees with Cancer Undergoing Chemotherapy.
Rikke Rosbjerg, Dorte Gilså Hansen, Robert Zachariae and 3 others
PMID 32114672WHAT IT FOUND
Belief in one's ability to return to work did not predict actual return to work in employees with cancer undergoing chemotherapy.
Once sex and treatment intent were accounted for, this self-efficacy score added no predictive value. Sex and palliative treatment were the stronger predictors.
Key findings
01High return-to-work self-efficacy was associated with a shorter time to full return to work in the unadjusted analysis, but this association disappeared after adjusting for covariates.
02In the final multivariate model, only female sex and palliative treatment intention remained significant predictors of return to work.
03The study did not confirm the hypothesis that return-to-work self-efficacy predicts return to work in this cancer population.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The sample size was small (114 participants), increasing the risk that the regression models were overfitted. There was a high rate of non-response to the initial invitation, raising the possibility of selection bias, as those who participated may have been healthier or had higher socioeconomic status. The study did not measure motivation for return to work, which the authors suggest might be a key factor that modifies the relationship between self-efficacy and actual return to work. Anxiety was not included as a covariate, despite being a known factor in return-to-work outcomes for cancer patients.
Declared interests
The study was funded by The Danish Cancer Society and The Oticon Foundation. The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that return-to-work self-efficacy is irrelevant for cancer patients. The null finding occurred after adjusting for sex and treatment intention, suggesting these factors may overshadow self-efficacy in this specific group, or that motivation (not measured here) plays a critical role.