Long-term follow-up study of work status among patients with work-related mental disorders referred to departments of occupational medicine in Denmark

OBJECTIVES: To describe the 5 year work status in patients referred for suspected work-related common mental disorders. To develop a prognostic model.DESIGN: Register-based nationwide longitudinal follow-up study.SETTING: All departments of occupational medicine in Denmark.PARTICIPANTS: 17 822 patients aged 18-67 years, seen for the first time at a Department of Occupational Medicine in Denmark from 2000 to 2013 and diagnosed with stress, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety or other mental disorders.INTERVENTIONS: All patients were seen for diagnostic assessment and causal evaluation of the work-relatedness of their disorders. Some departments offered patients with stress disorders psychological treatment, which, however, was not organised according to patient selection or type of treatment.PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: Register data were collected for 5 year periods before and after the patients' first assessment at a department. Weekly percentages of patients are presented according to work status. The outcome in the prognostic model was a high Work Participation Score (ie, working&gt;75% of potential work weeks/year) at 5 year follow-up.RESULTS: For all subgroups of patients, a high proportion were working (&gt;75%) 1-5 years before assessment, and all experienced a large reduction in work status at time of assessment. At 1 year follow-up, almost 60% of patients with stress were working, whereas in the other patient subgroups, less than 40% were working. In the following years, practically no increase was observed in the percentage of patients working in any of the subgroups. Based on these 5 year follow-up data, we developed a work participation model with only moderate discrimination and calibration.CONCLUSIONS: In Denmark, not all return to previous work status 5 years after a referral due to a suspected work-related common mental disorder. We developed a prognostic model with only moderate discrimination and calibration for long-term work participation after suggested work-related common mental disorders.</p

Estimating the causal effects of work-related and non-work-related stressors on perceived stress level: A fixed effects approach using population-based panel data

Objectives Prolonged or excessive stress can have a negative impact on health and well-being, and stress therefore constitutes a major public health issue. A central question is what are the main sources of stress in contemporary societies? This study examines the effects of work-related and non-work-related stressors and perceived social support on perceived stress within a causal framework. Methods Panel data were drawn from two waves (2013 and 2017) of the population-based health survey "How are you?" conducted in the Central Denmark Region. The analytical sample comprised 9,194 subjects who had responded to both surveys. Work-related and non-work-related stressors included major life events, chronic stressors, daily hassles and lack of social support. Perceived stress was measured with the 10-item Perceived Stress Scale (PSS). Data were analysed using fixed effects regression in a fully balanced design. Results The largest effects on PSS were seen in own disease, work situation and lack of social support. Other stressors affecting the perceived stress level were financial circumstances, relationship with partner, relationship with family and friends, and disease among close relatives. Most variables had a symmetrical effect on PSS. Conclusions The results point to the need for comprehensive policies to promote mental health that span life domains and include both the individual and the group as well as organizational and societal levels. The study indicates that there are multiple potential entry points for stress prevention and stress management. However, it also shows that disease, work situation and social support weigh heavily in the overall picture. This points to the healthcare system and workplace as key institutional venues for action

Developing prognostic models for health care utilization in patients with work-related mental health problems

Abstract Background The long-term prognosis for employees with work-related mental health problems is unclear. We aim to describe long-term trends in health care utilization (HCU) and develop multivariable prognostic models for long-term mental health care utilization. Methods From the Danish Occupational Medicine Cohort we included mental health patients (N = 17,822) assessed from 2000 to 2013 at Departments of Occupational Medicine. Outcomes were general health (general practitioner, somatic hospital) and mental health (psychiatrist/psychologist, psychiatric hospital) HCU obtained from registries five years before/after assessment. The 10-year period was divided into phases relative to assessment: 5 − 3 years before, 2 years before/after, and 3–5 years after. We developed gender-stratified Lasso-penalized multivariable prognostic models for HCU 3–5 years after assessment assessing both calibration and discrimination. Results Prevalent HCU for general practitioner, psychiatrist/psychologist and psychiatric hospital services was relatively stable 5 − 3 years prior to assessment, then rising during the 2 years before/after. At 3–5 years after assessment prevalent general practitioner HCU declined to previous levels, while prevalent HCU for psychologist/psychiatrist and psychiatric hospital services remained elevated compared to previous levels during years 5 − 3. Prognostic models for long-term psychologist/psychiatrist and psychiatric hospital HCU indicated acceptable calibration and modest discrimination. Conclusions Prevalent HCU rose two years before/after assessment and remained elevated for psychiatrist/psychologist and psychiatric hospital HCU 3–5 years after. Gender-stratified prognostic models were developed for long-term mental health HCU, but discrimination and calibration should be further improved before out-of-sample application for personal prognosis. Trial registration The study was registered at clinicaltrials.gov (Identifier: NCT04459793) prior to analyses