Does a brief work-stress intervention prevent sick-leave during the following 24 months?: A randomized controlled trial in Swedish primary care
2021 (English)In: Work: A journal of Prevention, Assessment and rehabilitation, ISSN 1051-9815, E-ISSN 1875-9270, Vol. 70, no 4, p. 1141-1150Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]
BACKGROUND: Work-related stress (WRS) presents a risk for sick leave. However, effective methods to identify people at risk for sick leave due to WRS at an early stage are lacking in primary health care.
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate whether a systematic early identification of WRS can prevent sick leave over 24 months after the intervention.
METHODS: Study participants (n = 132 intervention; n = 139 control) were employed, non-sick-listed persons seeking care at primary health care centres. The intervention included early identification of WRS by a validated instrument, general practitioner (GP) awareness supported by a brief training session, patients' self-reflection by instrument completion, GP giving the patient feedback at consultation and GP identifying preventive measures. The control group received treatment as usual. Outcome data were retrieved from the Swedish Social Insurance Agency.
RESULTS: The intervention group had less registered median sick leave days (n = 56) than the control group (n = 65) but the difference was not statistically significant.
CONCLUSIONS: The brief intervention was not proven effective in preventing sick leave in the following 24 months compared to treatment as usual. Further research on how to identify, advice and treat those at high risk for sick leave in primary health care is needed.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
IOS Press, 2021. Vol. 70, no 4, p. 1141-1150
Keywords [en]
Preventive intervention, Work stress questionnaire (WSQ), common mental disorders, musculoskeletal disorders, sick leave days
National Category
Public Health, Global Health, Social Medicine and Epidemiology
Research subject
Research on Citizen Centered Health, University of Skövde (Reacch US)
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:his:diva-20858DOI: 10.3233/WOR-205029ISI: 000734505400014PubMedID: 34842202Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-85121856278OAI: oai:DiVA.org:his-20858DiVA, id: diva2:1627294
Funder
Forte, Swedish Research Council for Health, Working Life and Welfare, 2014-0936
Note
CC BY-NC 4.0
Address for correspondence: Jenny Hultqvist, Sahlgrenska Academy, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, Department of Health and Rehabilitation, University of Gothenburg, PO Box 430, 40530 Göteborg, Sweden. Tel.: +46 734 44 18 77; E-mail:jenny.hultqvist@gu.se.
The study was funded by The Swedish Research Council for Health, Working Life and Welfare [Forte] (No.2014-0936).
2022-01-132022-01-132022-12-07Bibliographically approved