Background: Previous research has shown that job characteristics, private life and psychosocial factors partially account for gender difference in work absences because of sickness. Most studies have analysed these factors separately. The aim of the present study was to evaluate whether these explanatory factors act as mediators when they are considered simultaneously.
Methods: The evaluated data set comprises the merger of two Belgian longitudinal studies, BELSTRESS III and SOMSTRESS. It includes 3821 workers (1541 men) aged 21-66 years, employed in eight organizations. A multiple mediation analysis was performed to explain the higher prevalence among women. Estimated factors were occupational grade, total number of paid working hours per week, job strain, overcommitment, home-work interference and social support at and outside work. Prospective data concerning duration and frequency of medically justified sickness absence (registered by the organizations) were used as outcomes.
Results: Overall, the mediating factors partially account for gender difference in sickness absence. The strongest mediator for both outcomes is job strain. In addition, difference in absence duration is mediated by social support at work, whereas difference in frequency is mediated by professional grade and home-work interference.
Conclusions: Our results call attention to the necessity to elaborate actual preventive actions aiming at favouring a better positioning of women on the labour market in term of hierarchical level as well as in terms of quality of work for reducing sickness absence in this group.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/eurpub/cks183 | DOI Listing |
Int J Environ Res Public Health
January 2025
Employee Health Unit, Department of Family Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, American University of Beirut Medical Center, Beirut P.O. Box 11-0236, Lebanon.
Background: Absenteeism among healthcare workers (HCWs) disrupts workflows and hampers the delivery of adequate patient care. The aim of the study was to examine predictors of sick leaves among HCWs in a tertiary medical center in Lebanon.
Methods: A retrospective analysis of sick leaves linked to health records of 2850 HCWs between 2015 and 2018 was performed.
Gesundheitswesen
January 2025
FB3 Arbeit und Gesundheit, Bundesanstalt für Arbeitsschutz und Arbeitsmedizin Standort Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
The present study examines the relationship between the burnout dimension emotional exhaustion and subsequent events of work nonparticipation (long-term sickness absence, unemployment, early retirement) and their duration.The data basis was the Study on Mental Health at Work (S-MGA); a follow-up study based on a random sample of n=4511 employees subject to social security contributions aged 31-60 years at baseline and their follow-up after 5 years (n=2460). Burnout symptoms were measured at the time of the baseline survey by means of a questionnaire, while the employment and sickness absence history was recorded at follow-up by means of an interview.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Educ Health Promot
December 2024
Health in Disasters and Emergencies Research Center, Institute for Futures Studies in Health, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran.
Background: The nursing profession consistently has the highest rates of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) among occupations due to physical and psychological pressures, leading to an increased number of sickness absences, early retirement, staff shortage, poor health conditions, and need for medical care. Absence among healthcare workers puts the quality of patient care at risk, and increase colleagues' workload and employer staffing expenses. This study aimed to investigate the viewpoints of Iranian nurses about sustaining work despite musculoskeletal pain.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInt J Nurs Stud
January 2025
Finnish Institute of Occupational Health (FIOH), Helsinki and Oulu, Finland.
Background: Short intervals between shifts, known as quick returns, have been linked to adverse health effects, and increased risk of occupational accidents, particularly among healthcare employees. To safeguard employee health, the 2020 reform of Working Time Act in Finland limited rest periods under 11 h in irregular shift work.
Objective: To evaluate the changes in quick returns following the 2020 reform of the Working Time Act in Finland and their association with sickness absence among public healthcare employees.
BMC Health Serv Res
January 2025
University of Eastern Finland, School of Medicine, Institute of Public Health and Clinical Nutrition, Yliopistonranta 1, Kuopio, 70210, Finland.
Background: Mental disorders are a major public health challenge, and their prevalence is globally increasing. They substantially affect work ability, quality of life, and the number of years of disability. A new model for referring psychiatric patients to occupational health services (OHS) aims to improve the continuity of care and to promote the early return to work (RTW) of workers with diagnosed mental health conditions.
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