ARTICLE #2. THE HEATLH EFFECTS OF BEING OUT OF WORK
The source of this article is RTWKnowledge.org
At a glance:
People who are out of work are at greater risk of:
PERSPECTIVES:
Employee
Work provides income, but it is also important to a person's mental wellbeing
and self-belief. The roles people play in their family and in society are partly
shaped by their work.
The longer someone stays off work, the less likely they are to return. Even after a few weeks their chances of returning are reduced. Many people who have been off work for a few years acknowledge that if they had known the path ahead they would have been much more proactive about their situation.
Being off work with an injury is difficult for most people. Aside from worries about health and problems coping with pain, there are the official or bureaucratic processes that need to be worked through and understood.
Work is an important goal in itself. It is an essential part of your recovery process. Try to get the support you need with the return to work process.
Employer
Work is important for people's health and well-being. A return to work is most
likely to be successful when the employee is engaged, and feels like a productive
member of the team. Re-engaging people improves their well-being, and benefits
the company.
Treater
This substantial review of a large body of literature provides solid evidence
that work is generally good for people's health and well-being. Remaining off
work is a hazard for medium to long-term health. It carries an increased risk
of health problems and increased risk of death from a variety of conditions.
A few weeks of sick leave may not seem a major problem, but we know that the
longer someone stays off work the less likely they are to successfully return.
This review provides good evidence that treating practitioners. In return to work this may include doctors, physiotherapists, chiropractors, osteopaths, psychologists, masseurs, etc. should give clear advice to patients. Many patients do not see the path ahead, and the authors of this paper call on treating practitioners to focus on the return to work as an important outcome.
Insurer
Mental health problems, depression suicide and attempted suicide, heart disease,
cancers, and overall rates of illness and death increase when people remain
out of work.
Return to work is most successful when all parties work together towards a common goal. Clear communication and support for people with an injury is an important aspect of helping them back to work.
Original Article,
Authors & Publication Details:
G. Waddell1, K. Burton2 and M. Aylward3 (2007).
Work and Common Health Problems. Journal of Insurance Medicine; 39(2):109-120.
1Waddell –Unumprovident
Centre for Psychosocial and Disability Research, Cardiff University, UK.
2Burton – Centre for Health and Social Care Research, University of Huddersfield,
UK
3Aylward – Unumprovident Centre for Psychosocial and Disability Research,
Cardiff University, UK
Background,
Study Objectives, How It Was Done:
Over the last 25 years work has become safer, but sickness absence has increased.
This paper was a review of a broad range of studies exploring the impact of
work on health. Only the first part of this paper has been summarized here.
Summaries of other parts of the paper can be found elsewhere on this site.
Study Findings:
The reviewers divided the analysis into the sections below.
1. Health effects of being out of work
There was strong evidence that being out of work has the following consequences:
Increased risk
of dying
Increased risk of dying from heart disease, lung cancer, and suicide
Poorer physical health, including heart disease, high blood pressure and chest
infections
Poorer general health and poorer self reports of health and well-being
Increased long-term illness
Poorer mental health and well-being.
Increased likelihood of suicide attempts
Higher rates of medical attendance and hospital admission
2. Health effects of being long-term out of work
The authors advised long-term worklessness is one of the greatest risks to health, with:
2-3 times the risk
of poor health
2-3 times the risk mental illness
Significantly increased risk of depression
20% excess deaths
Long-term worklessness carries more risk to health than many “killer diseases," and more risk than most dangerous jobs (e.g. construction, working on an oil rig)
3. How being out of work affects health
The researchers examined the evidence, and evaluated the quality of each study to ensure that their conclusions were not inaccurate. They were clear that being out of work was actually causing or contributing significantly to poorer health.
4. Being out of work might affect health in the following ways:
Being out of work
results in reduced income for most people. Reduced income has a negative effect
on health, and also causes anxiety
Being out of work effects mood, which can have a negative effect on mental health
Some studies suggest that being out of work increases risky behaviors, such
as increased smoking and decreased exercise. Not all of the evidence supports
this view, however.
Being out of work for one period may increase the likelihood of being out of
work again later on.
The authors note that although being out of work generally had negative effects on health, it can lead to improved health and well-being for a minority of people (about 5-10%). This seems to be the case when people are financially secure, and have made a positive decision to remain out of the workforce.
Health effects of re-employment:
When an individual
returns to employment, signs of general health and well being improve. (E.g.
self-esteem, self-reported health, physical health, and self-satisfaction.)
Returning to the workforce improves minor psychiatric health problems and psychiatric
distress
The security of the new job, as well as the person's motivation and job satisfaction
are important factors in improvement after returning to work
People who have returned to work are healthier than those who have not. One might assume that people with better health in the first place are simply more likely to return to work. However the researchers took this possibility into account, and concluded that most of the improvement was directly caused by re-employment.
Conclusions:
The authors of this paper emphasized the importance of rehabilitation and supporting
employees' return to work. They indicate that work is an important goal in itself,
and an essential part of any recovery process.
Rehabilitation is not just a matter for doctors, but should be a focus of all parties in the work disability system. The authors comment that all players must work together to achieve common goals to care for individual patients and improve public health.