Effectiveness of an intervention to reduce sickness absence in patients with emotional distress or minor mental disorders: a randomized controlled effectiveness trial | Knowledge Translation for Employment Research Center

Authors:	Brown, L., Shiraga, B., & Kessler, K.
Year Published	2006
Publication	General Hospital Psychiatry
Volume	28
Number	3
Pages	223-229
Publisher	Elsevier
Background	Mental health problems have an impact on well-being and quality of life and often affect functioning to such an extent that they are associated with absenteeism. In the Netherlands, about one third of the people receiving disability benefits do so because of mental health problems, the majority of which are minor mental health problems including emotional distress.
Purpose	The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of an activating intervention designed to reduce sick leave duration in patients with emotional distress or minor mental disorders.
Setting	The settings were various places where participants worked.
Sample	The sample included 194 patients with minor mental disorders.
Data Collection	Outcome measures were sick leave duration, mental health and physical health (questionnaires included the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, the Four-Dimensional Symptom Questionnaire and SF-36), all measured at baseline at and 3, 6 and 18 months later. Multilevel analyses were used to evaluate differences between groups.
Control	The control condition was the general practitioner's usual care.
Findings	The groups did not differ significantly on any of the outcome measures, except that the experimental group reported higher satisfaction with treatment.
Conclusions	Although the intervention has benefits, it was not successful at its primary goal (i.e., to reduce sick leave duration in patients with emotional distress or minor mental disorders). Programs aimed at the reduction of sick leave duration may yield better results if targeted at patients with more severe emotional problems than at those with exclusively emotional distress or minor mental disorders, or if delivered by caregivers who are closer to the work environment than are social workers, such as occupational physicians.
URL	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16675365
Disabilities	Emotional disturbance
Populations	Male & Female
Outcomes	Return to work
NIDILRR Funded	No
Research Design	Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs)
Peer Reviewed	Yes

Year Published

2006

Publication

General Hospital Psychiatry

Volume

28

Number

3

Pages

223-229

Publisher

Elsevier

Background

Mental health problems have an impact on well-being and quality of life and often affect functioning to such an extent that they are associated with absenteeism. In the Netherlands, about one third of the people receiving disability benefits do so because of mental health problems, the majority of which are minor mental health problems including emotional distress.

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of an activating intervention designed to reduce sick leave duration in patients with emotional distress or minor mental disorders.

Setting

The settings were various places where participants worked.

Sample

The sample included 194 patients with minor mental disorders.

Data Collection

Outcome measures were sick leave duration, mental health and physical health (questionnaires included the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, the Four-Dimensional Symptom Questionnaire and SF-36), all measured at baseline at and 3, 6 and 18 months later. Multilevel analyses were used to evaluate differences between groups.

Control

The control condition was the general practitioner's usual care.

Findings

The groups did not differ significantly on any of the outcome measures, except that the experimental group reported higher satisfaction with treatment.

Conclusions

Although the intervention has benefits, it was not successful at its primary goal (i.e., to reduce sick leave duration in patients with emotional distress or minor mental disorders). Programs aimed at the reduction of sick leave duration may yield better results if targeted at patients with more severe emotional problems than at those with exclusively emotional distress or minor mental disorders, or if delivered by caregivers who are closer to the work environment than are social workers, such as occupational physicians.

URL

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16675365

Disabilities

Emotional disturbance

Populations

Male & Female

Outcomes

Return to work

NIDILRR Funded

No

Research Design

Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs)

Peer Reviewed

Yes