Sickness absence from back pain, psychosocial work characteristics and employment grade among office workers.

OBJECTIVES The relation between psychosocial work characteristics, employment grade, and sickness absence due to back pain was studied among office workers. METHODS Base-line questionnaire data and sickness absence data collected continuously with a mean of 4 years of follow-up were analyzed. The subjects were 6894 men and 3414 women aged 35 to 55 years at recruitment. The main outcome measures were short (< or = 7 days) and long (> 7 days) absences due to back pain. RESULTS There was a strong inverse association between employment grade and rate of absences due to back pain (P for linear trend < 0.001); for example, the rate ratio for short absences among the men in a comparison of lowest versus highest employment grade was 8.21. The age adjusted rate ratio for the effect of low versus high control over work among the men was 2.22 [95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.77-2.79] for short and 1.61 (95% CI 1.01-2.58) for long absences due to back pain. For short absences due to back pain among the men in high grades of employment, the rate ratio for low control was 3.42 compared with 0.78 for the lower grades (P for interaction < 0.001). For the women the corresponding rate ratios were 0.80 and 1.35, respectively (P for interaction 0.08). CONCLUSIONS Absence from work due to back pain was strongly inversely related to employment grade. The effects of psychosocial work characteristics-particularly control-differed by grade and gender in magnitude and direction. The psychosocial work environment represents a potentially reversible cause of ill health.

[1]  N. Obuchowski,et al.  Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the lumbar spine in people without back pain , 2017, AL-QADISIYAH MEDICAL JOURNAL.

[2]  J. Nelder,et al.  The GLIM System Release 3. , 1979 .

[3]  P Leino,et al.  Symptoms of stress predict musculoskeletal disorders. , 1989, Journal of epidemiology and community health.

[4]  M Marmot,et al.  Sickness absence as a measure of health status and functioning: from the UK Whitehall II study. , 1995, Journal of epidemiology and community health.

[5]  D Coggon,et al.  Occupational causes of low-back pain. , 1989, Scandinavian journal of work, environment & health.

[6]  Simon J. Williams,et al.  OPCS Surveys of Disability in Great Britain, Report 1: The Prevalence of Disability Among Adults (Book). , 1989 .

[7]  T. Klaukka,et al.  Epidemiology of rheumatic diseases in Finland in 1964-76. , 1982, Scandinavian journal of rheumatology. Supplement.

[8]  P. Leino,et al.  Depressive and distress symptoms as predictors of low back pain, neck-shoulder pain, and other musculoskeletal morbidity: a 10-year follow-up of metal industry employees , 1993, Pain.

[9]  M. Marmot,et al.  Sickness absence in the Whitehall II study, London: the role of social support and material problems. , 1995, Journal of epidemiology and community health.

[10]  K. Harms-Ringdahl,et al.  Psychosocial job factors and symptoms from the locomotor system--a multicausal analysis. , 2020, Scandinavian journal of rehabilitation medicine.

[11]  Sander Greenland,et al.  Factors associated with self-reported back-pain prevalence: A populationdashbased study , 1985 .

[12]  A. Adelstein.  Studies on medical and population subjects. , 1976 .

[13]  C. Soutar,et al.  Epidemiologic Study of Back Pain in Miners and Office Workers , 1986, Spine.

[14]  R. Deyo,et al.  What can the history and physical examination tell us about low back pain? , 1992, JAMA.

[15]  V. H. Hildebrandt,et al.  Psychosocial factors at work and musculoskeletal disease. , 1993, Scandinavian journal of work, environment & health.

[16]  H. Blackburn,et al.  Cardiovascular survey methods. , 1969, Monograph series. World Health Organization.

[17]  M Marmot,et al.  Psychosocial work environment and sickness absence among British civil servants: the Whitehall II study. , 1996, American journal of public health.

[18]  Gordon Higginson,et al.  Clinical Standards Advisory Group , 1994, Quality in health care : QHC.

[19]  A Ahlbom,et al.  Job decision latitude, job demands, and cardiovascular disease: a prospective study of Swedish men. , 1981, American journal of public health.

[20]  Gower Street,et al.  Health inequalities among British civil servants: the Whitehall II study , 1991, The Lancet.

[21]  S. Jackson.  Participation in decision making as a strategy for reducing job-related strain. , 1983 .

[22]  M. Marmot,et al.  Explanations for social inequalities in health , 1995 .

[23]  S A Stansfeld,et al.  Social support and psychiatric sickness absence: a prospective study of British civil servants , 1997, Psychological Medicine.

[24]  John W. Frymoyer,et al.  The adult spine : principles and practice , 1991 .

[25]  A. Nachemson,et al.  Newest knowledge of low back pain. A critical look. , 1992, Clinical orthopaedics and related research.

[26]  P M Bongers,et al.  Psychosocial stressors at work and musculoskeletal problems. , 1994, Scandinavian journal of work, environment & health.

[27]  M. Skovron,et al.  Epidemiology of low back pain. , 1992, Bailliere's clinical rheumatology.

[28]  G. Waddell.  Biopsychosocial analysis of low back pain. , 1992, Bailliere's clinical rheumatology.

[29]  M. Marmot,et al.  Low job control and the risk of coronary heart disease in the Whitehall II study , 1997 .

[30]  A. Rigby,et al.  Socioeconomic influences on back problems in the community in Britain. , 1994, Journal of epidemiology and community health.

[31]  W. Fordyce,et al.  A Prospective Study of Work Perceptions and Psychosocial Factors Affecting the Report of Back Injury , 1991, Spine.

[32]  S. Syme,et al.  Explaining socioeconomic differences in sickness absence: the Whitehall II Study. , 1993, BMJ.

[33]  S A Stansfeld,et al.  Occupational back pain--an unhelpful polemic. , 1995, Scandinavian journal of work, environment & health.