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Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology
Published in: Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology 11/2006

01-11-2006 | ORIGINAL PAPER

Depressive symptoms and the risk of long-term sickness absence

A prospective study among 4747 employees in Denmark

Authors: Dr. Ute Bültmann, Reiner Rugulies, Thomas Lund, Karl Bang Christensen, Merete Labriola, Hermann Burr

Published in: Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology | Issue 11/2006

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Abstract

Background

The aim of this paper is to examine the impact of depressive symptoms on long-term sickness absence in a representative sample of the Danish workforce.

Methods

This prospective study is based on 4,747 male and female employees, participating in the Danish Work Environment Cohort Study. Depressive symptoms were measured at baseline. Data on sickness absence were obtained from a national register on social transfer payments. Onset of long-term sickness absence was followed up for 78 weeks.

Results

The cumulative 78 weeks incidence for the onset of long-term sickness absence was 6.5% in men and 8.9% in women. Both men and women with severe depressive symptoms (≤52 points) were at increased risk of long-term sickness absence during follow-up (men: HR = 2.69; 95% CI: 1.18, 6.12; women: HR = 2.27; 95% CI: 1.25, 4.11), after adjustment for demographic, health related, and lifestyle factors. When we divided the depressive symptom scores into quartiles, we found no significant effects with regard to long-term sickness absence.

Conclusions

Severe depressive symptoms, as measured with the MHI-5, increased the risk of future long-term sickness absence in the general Danish working population. However, effects were not linear, but occurred mostly only in those employees with high levels of depressive symptoms.
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Metadata
Title
Depressive symptoms and the risk of long-term sickness absence
A prospective study among 4747 employees in Denmark
Authors
Dr. Ute Bültmann
Reiner Rugulies
Thomas Lund
Karl Bang Christensen
Merete Labriola
Hermann Burr
Publication date
01-11-2006
Publisher
Steinkopff-Verlag
Published in
Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology / Issue 11/2006
Print ISSN: 0933-7954
Electronic ISSN: 1433-9285
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-006-0110-y

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