The linkage of depressive and anxiety disorders with the expected labor market affiliation (ELMA): a longitudinal multi-state study of Danish employees.

Objective: Depressive and anxiety disorders are prevalent among employees in general. Still, knowledge regarding the contribution of these disorders to the dynamics of the labor market in terms of working time, sickness absence, and unemployment is scarce. We aim to quantify the linkage of depressive and anxiety disorders with labor market participation using the expected labor market affiliation method (ELMA), in a large sample of Danish employees.

Combined psychosocial work factors and risk of long-term sickness absence in the general working population: Prospective cohort with register follow-up among 69 371 workers.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the importance of combined psychosocial work factors for the risk of long-term sickness absence (LTSA).

Methods: We followed 69 371 employees in the general working population (Work Environment and Health in Denmark study 2012-2018), without LTSA during the preceding year, for up to two years in the Danish Register for Evaluation of Marginalization. Using k-means cluster analyses and weighted Cox-regression controlling for age, gender, survey year, education, health-behaviors, and physical work demands, we determined the prospective association of 11 identified clusters - based on the combination of nine psychosocial work factors (recognition, quantitative demands, work pace, emotional demands, influence, justice, role clarity, role conflicts, and support from colleagues) - with the risk of LTSA.

Expected Labor Market Affiliation: A New Method Illustrated by Estimating the Impact of Perceived Stress on Time in Work, Sickness Absence and Unemployment of 37,605 Danish Employees.

As detailed data on labor market affiliation become more accessible, new approaches are needed to address the complex patterns of labor market affiliation. We introduce the expected labor market affiliation (ELMA) method by estimating the time-restricted impact of perceived stress on labor market affiliation in a large sample of Danish employees. Data from two national surveys were linked with a national register.

High physical work demands have worse consequences for older workers: prospective study of long-term sickness absence among 69 117 employees.

Objective: This study investigates the role of age for the prospective association between physical work demands and long-term sickness absence (LTSA).

Methods: We followed 69 117 employees of the general working population (Work Environment and Health in Denmark study 2012-2018), without LTSA during the past 52 weeks preceding initial interview, for up to 2 years in the Danish Register for Evaluation of Marginalisation. Self-reported physical work demands were based on a combined ergonomic index including seven different types of exposure during the working day.

Associations between physical and psychosocial work environment factors and sickness absence incidence depend on the lengths of the sickness absence episodes: a prospective study of 27 678 Danish employees.

Objectives: This study examined if the association between work environment factors and sickness absence (SA) depended on the inclusion or exclusion of short-term SA episodes.

Methods: We linked the 'Work Environment and Health in Denmark' survey with the 'Danish Register of Work Absences' (n=27 678). Using covariate adjusted Cox regression, we examined the associations between work environment factors and SA by changing the cut-off points for the length of the SA episodes, for example, episodes ≥1 day, ≥6 days and ≥21 days.

The physical activity paradox revisited: a prospective study on compositional accelerometer data and long-term sickness absence.

Background: The 'physical activity paradox' advocates that leisure physical activity (PA) promotes health while high occupational PA impairs health. However, this paradox can be explained by methodological limitations of the previous studies-self-reported PA measures, insufficient adjustment for socioeconomic confounding or not addressing the compositional nature of PA. Therefore, this study investigated if we still observe the PA paradox in relation to long-term sick absence (LTSA) after adjusting for the abovementioned limitations.

Impact of depressive symptoms on worklife expectancy: a longitudinal study on Danish employees.

Objective: Depressive symptoms are associated with sickness absence, work disability and unemployment, but little is known about worklife expectancy (WLE). This study investigates the impact of depressive symptoms on the WLE of a large sample of Danish employees.

Methods: We used occupational health survey data of 11 967 Danish employees from 2010 and linked them with register data on salary and transfer payments from 2010 to 2015.

Determinants of voluntary early retirement for older workers with and without chronic diseases: A Danish prospective study.

This study explored differences in determinants (i.e. health-related, work-related and social factors) of voluntary early retirement between older workers with and without chronic diseases in Denmark.

Comparison of exhaustion symptoms in patients with stress-related and other psychiatric and somatic diagnoses.

Background: Several rating scales assessing stress-related symptoms of exhaustion have emerged in recent years. However, more knowledge is needed about the performance of these rating scales in patients with stress-related disorders as well as in other patient groups. With the recently developed Karolinska Exhaustion Disorder Scale (KEDS), we compared symptoms of exhaustion in different patient groups that were sorted according to diagnosis.

Technically measured compositional physical work demands and prospective register-based sickness absence (PODESA): a study protocol.

Background: Various physical work demands are shown to be associated with sickness absence. However, these studies have: (a) predominantly used self-reported data on physical work demands that have been shown to be inaccurate compared with technical measurements, (b) principally focused on various physical work demands in 'isolation', i.e.

Perceived stress and sickness absence: a prospective study of 17,795 employees in Denmark.

Objectives: The aims were to examine (1) the prospective association between perceived stress and sickness absence, and if this association (2) differed by sex, and (3) was stronger when only long-term sickness absence (≥ 31 days) instead of all-length sickness absence (≥ 1 day) was included. Moreover, different cut-points for the length of the sickness absence periods were applied.

Methods: We followed respondents (10,634 women and 7161 men) from the 'Work Environment and Health in Denmark' 2014-survey for up to 18 months in the 'Register of Work Absences' from Statistics Denmark.

Self-reported or register-based? A comparison of sickness absence data among 8110 public and private employees in Denmark.

Objectives The study aim was to examine (i) non-response bias between responders and non-responders, and (ii) whether the association between self-reported sickness absence (SA) and register-based SA differed by gender, age, sector, or physically demanding work. Methods The responses of 8110 participants to a question on self-reported SA in past 12 months in the Work Environment and Health in Denmark Survey (2014) was linked to 12 months of SA data from the Danish Register of Work Absence. We used logistic regression for the non-response analysis and Poisson regression to examine associations.

Does workplace social capital protect against long-term sickness absence? Linking workplace aggregated social capital to sickness absence registry data.

Aims: Most previous prospective studies have examined workplace social capital as a resource of the individual. However, literature suggests that social capital is a collective good. In the present study we examined whether a high level of workplace aggregated social capital (WASC) predicts a decreased risk of individual-level long-term sickness absence (LTSA) in Danish private sector employees.

Physical working conditions as covered in European monitoring questionnaires.

Background: The prevalence of workers with demanding physical working conditions in the European work force remains high, and occupational physical exposures are considered important risk factors for musculoskeletal disorders (MSD), a major burden for both workers and society. Exposures to physical workloads are therefore part of the European nationwide surveys to monitor working conditions and health. An interesting question is to what extent the same domains, dimensions and items referring to the physical workloads are covered in the surveys.

Associations between the workplace-effort in psychosocial risk management and the employee-rating of the psychosocial work environment - a multilevel study of 7565 employees in 1013 workplaces.

Aims: This study examined the association between the workplace-effort in psychosocial risk management and later employee-rating of the psychosocial work environment.

Method: The study is based on data from two questionnaire surveys - one including 1013 workplaces and one including 7565 employees from these workplaces. The association was analyzed using multi-level linear regression.

Psychosocial work environment and retirement age: a prospective study of 1876 senior employees.

Purpose: Retention of senior employees is a challenge for most developed countries. We aimed to identify psychosocial work environment factors of importance for the retention of older employees by evaluating the association between the psychosocial work environment and voluntary early retirement in a longitudinal study.

Methods: Data about work environment, health, and background factors came from the DANES 2008 questionnaire survey.

Physical workload and risk of long-term sickness absence in the general working population and among blue-collar workers: prospective cohort study with register follow-up.

Objective: To determine the prospective association between physical workload--in terms of specific physical exposures and the number of exposures--and long-term sickness absence (LTSA).

Methods: Using cox-regression analyses, we estimated the risk of register-based incident LTSA (at least 3 consecutive weeks) from self-reported exposure to different physical workloads among 11,908 wage earners from the general working population (Danish Work Environment Cohort Study year 2000 and 2005).

Results: The incidence of LTSA was 8.

Dimensional comparability of psychosocial working conditions as covered in European monitoring questionnaires.

Background: In most countries in the EU, national surveys are used to monitor working conditions and health. Since the development processes behind the various surveys are not necessarily theoretical, but certainly practical and political, the extent of similarity among the dimensions covered in these surveys has been unclear. Another interesting question is whether prominent models from scientific research on work and health are present in the surveys--bearing in mind that the primary focus of these surveys is on monitoring status and trends, not on mapping scientific models.

Demand-specific work ability, poor health and working conditions in middle-aged full-time employees.

We investigated the prevalence of reduced demand-specific work ability, its association with age, gender, education, poor health, and working conditions, and the interaction between poor health and working conditions regarding reduced demand-specific work ability. We used cross-sectional questionnaire data from 3381 full-time employees responding to questions about vocational education, job demands and social support (working conditions), musculoskeletal pain (MSP) and major depression (MD) (poor health) and seven questions about difficulty managing different job demands (reduced demand-specific work ability). Reduced demand-specific work ability varied from 9% to 19% among the 46-year old and from 11% to 21% among the 56-year old.

The predictive value of mental health for long-term sickness absence: the Major Depression Inventory (MDI) and the Mental Health Inventory (MHI-5) compared.

Background: Questionnaires are valuable for population surveys of mental health. Different survey instruments may however give different results. The present study compares two mental health instruments, the Major Depression Inventory (MDI) and the Mental Health Inventory (MHI-5), in regard to their prediction of long-term sickness absence.

A one-item workability measure mediates work demands, individual resources and health in the prediction of sickness absence.

Objectives: The study tested the hypothesis that a one-item workability measure represented an assessment of the fit between resources (the individuals' physical and mental health and functioning) and workplace demands and that this resource/demand fit was a mediator in the prediction of sickness absence. We also estimated the relative importance of health and work environment for workability and sickness absence.

Methods: Baseline data were collected within a Danish work and health survey (3,214 men and 3,529 women) and followed up in a register of sickness absence.