Longitudinal study of negative workplace events among employed rheumatoid arthritis patients and healthy controls

Abstract

Objective. Most studies of employment in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have focused on job loss. Less is known about workplace events in patients who continued to work. The goal of this longitudinal study was to compare the incidence of negative workplace events between employed patients with RA and healthy controls. Methods. Participants completed the work domains of the Psychiatric Epidemiology Research Interview Life EventsScale and the Inventory of Small Life Events Scale measuring major and minor workplace events. Events were compared between groups according to psychosocial, clinical, and job characteristics. Results. A total of 122 patients with RA and 122 healthy controls were enrolled with similar demographic and occupational characteristics. There were no differences in percentages of patients and controls who had at least 1 major (35% versus 31%) or 1 minor (48% versus 55%) negative event. For patients with RA, negative events were associated with having more pain, more fatigue, more social stress, and less job autonomy (P < 0.05). For controls, in addition to social stress, negative events were associated with job characteristics, functional status, and social support (P < 0.05). Conclusion. A comparable number of patients with RA and controls had negative workplace events. In addition to the well-known contributions of job autonomy and pain, social stress and fatigue also were found to be important variables related to negative events in patients with RA. These potentially modifiable variables have not been fully evaluated with respect to long-term employment in these patients.

Common prognostic factors of work disability among employees with a chronic somatic disease: a systematic review of cohort studies

“…A moderate positive effect has been found for pain: four studies were positive (8,18,36,37) and six showed no effect (7/22, 18, 24, 42-44). Weak evidence has been found for the erythrocyte sedimentation rate and fatigue as prognostic factors of work disability in rheumatoid arthritis.…”

“…In studies of work disability due to rheumatoid arthritis, a relation has been found between becoming work disabled and variables such as: demanding physical work, low education, increasing age (>50 years), pain and self-reported functional status measured with the (modified) Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ), disease duration, and motivation to work (6)(7)(8). In studies on work disability due to asthma, a relation was found between work factors, education, general health, and motivation to work (9)(10)(11).…”

Effect of job maintenance training program for employees with chronic disease – a randomized controlled trial on self-efficacy, job satisfaction, and fatigue

“…Employment rates for individuals with rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, cancer, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease are substantially lower than for healthy persons (11)(12)(13)(14)(15)(16)(17); for dialysis patients, people with Parkinson's disease, or multiple sclerosis, the employment situation is even worse (5,(18)(19)(20).…”

Translating research into practice: Can we get there from here?

“…Mancuso and colleagues demonstrate that there are few differences between patients with RA and healthy controls on a range of workplace issues and especially negative workplace experiences (1). In a well-designed longitudinal study, the authors demonstrate that persons with RA confront the same workplace conditions as healthy workers.…”

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In two articles appearing in this journal issue, the researchers challenge lay-public notions of persons with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) (1,2). Mancuso and colleagues demonstrate that there are few differences between patients with RA and healthy controls on a range of workplace issues and especially negative workplace experiences (1).

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