Publications by authors named "A Berkouwer"
Introduction: To study the properties of a screening instrument in predicting long-term sickness absence among employees with depressive complaints.
Methods: Employees at high risk of future sickness absence were selected by the screening instrument Balansmeter (BM). Depressive complaints were assessed with the depression scale of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale.
Article Synopsis
- The study aimed to evaluate how effective early intervention is in preventing long-term sickness absence and major depression among employees with mild to severe depressive issues.
- Participants were randomly divided into an intervention group and a control group, with their sickness absence and depressive symptoms measured over 12 and 18 months using specific assessments.
- Results showed that the intervention group had significantly lower total sickness absence and improved depressive symptoms compared to the control group, indicating that early interventions can effectively help at-risk employees.
Article Synopsis
- Developed and validated a screening tool called Balansmeter to identify employees at risk for long-term sickness absence, based on data from the Maastricht Cohort Study with over 5,600 participants.
- The tool consists of 34 questions covering demographics, work environment, personal situation, health, and sickness absence history, showing strong predictive values for future absences in both male (RR 4.69) and female (RR 4.16) employees during internal validation.
- The study concludes that Balansmeter is an effective screening instrument for predicting future sickness absence, making it a valuable resource for employers.
Objective: To examine the efficacy of structured early consultation among employees at high risk for future long-term sickness absence, in the prevention and/or reduction of sickness absence. The focus of the experiment was the timing of the intervention, that is, treatment before sickness absence actually occurs.
Methods: In the current prospective randomized controlled trial (RCT), employees at high risk for long-term sickness absence were selected based on responses to a 34-item screening questionnaire including demographic, workplace, health and psychosocial factors associated with long-term sickness absence (>28 days).