Understanding long-term sick leave in female white-collar workers with burnout and stress-related diagnoses: a qualitative study.

Background: Sick leave rates in Sweden have been significant since the end of the 1990s. In this paper we focus on individual female white-collar workers and explore various factors and setting-based sources of ill health in working life and in private life, in order to understand impaired work ability, leading ultimately to long-term sick leave.

Methods: A qualitative methodology was chosen, and thematic, open-ended interviews were carried out with 16 women.