Presenteeism as a predictor of disability pension: A prospective study among nursing professionals and care assistants in Sweden

Abstract

Objectives The aim of the present study was to examine how presenteeism affects the risk of future disability pension among nursing professionals and care assistants (assistant nurses, hospital ward assistants, home‐based personal care workers, and child care assistants). A specific objective was to compare health and social care employees with all other occupations. Methods The study was based on a representative sample of working women and men (n = 43 682) aged 16‐64 years, who had been interviewed between 2001 and 2013 for the Swedish Work Environment Survey conducted every second year since 1989. Information on disability pension was obtained from the Social Insurance Agency's database (2002‐2014). The studied predictors were related to disability pension using Cox's proportional hazard regression with hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) and selected confounders were controlled for. The follow‐up period was 6.7 years (SD 4.2). Results Health and social care employees with frequent presenteeism showed a particularly elevated risk of future disability pension after adjusting for sex, sociodemographic variables, physical and psychosocial working conditions, and self‐rated health symptoms. In the amalgamated occupational group of nursing professionals and care assistants, the impact on disability pension of having engaged in presenteeism four times or more during the prior year remained significant (HR = 3.72, 95% CI = 2.43‐5.68). Conclusions The study suggests that frequent presenteeism contributes to an increased risk of disability pension among nursing professionals and care assistants as well as among all other occupations.

Associations between job and workplace factors, health and physical factors, personal factors, and presenteeism among general employees in Japan: A longitudinal study

“…In the present study, employees with higher self‐rated health status were more likely to have a lower risk of presenteeism after 1 year. This is generally consistent with previous findings suggesting that poor self‐rated health status is associated with presenteeism 14,15 . Many previous studies suggest that self‐rated health status is associated with various health outcomes.…”

Associations between job and workplace factors, health and physical factors, personal factors, and presenteeism among general employees in Japan: A longitudinal study

“…In the present study, employees with higher self‐rated health status were more likely to have a lower risk of presenteeism after 1 year. This is generally consistent with previous findings suggesting that poor self‐rated health status is associated with presenteeism 14,15 . Many previous studies suggest that self‐rated health status is associated with various health outcomes.…”

Presenteeism, Psychosocial Working Conditions and Work Ability among Care Workers—A Cross-Sectional Swedish Population-Based Study

“…The study showed that presenteeism was most common among care assistants and that its prevalence among nursing professionals did not deviate from that among the all other occupations group. The high prevalence of presenteeism found among care assistants is in line with findings from studies from other countries [3][4][5][6]11,20,[27][28][29]. Unlike the present study, other studies have found that nursing professionals have higher levels of presenteeism than other occupations [7,9,16,17,30].…”

Reasons for presenteeism in different occupational branches in Sweden: a population based cross-sectional study

“…Among employees handling symbols the most common answer was 'Nobody else can carry out my responsibilities', which may indicate a high degree of specialization in the occupations involved as well as individualized organization of work tasks and obligations. The shown differences in given reasons for presenteeism between women and men, as well as between young and old are in agreement with other studies (Al Nuhait et al 2017;Dudenhöffer et al 2017;Gustafsson Senden et al 2016;Hansen and Andersen 2008;Jena et al 2012;Johansen et al 2014;Rosvold and Bjertness 2001). One recent research review on presenteeism related to infectious illness, however, concluded that results on gender and age were inconsistent in cases of infectious disease (Webster et al 2019).…”

Associations between job and workplace factors, health and physical factors, personal factors, and presenteeism among general employees in Japan: A longitudinal study

“…In the present study, employees with higher self‐rated health status were more likely to have a lower risk of presenteeism after 1 year. This is generally consistent with previous findings suggesting that poor self‐rated health status is associated with presenteeism 14,15 . Many previous studies suggest that self‐rated health status is associated with various health outcomes.…”

Presenteeism, Psychosocial Working Conditions and Work Ability among Care Workers—A Cross-Sectional Swedish Population-Based Study

“…The study showed that presenteeism was most common among care assistants and that its prevalence among nursing professionals did not deviate from that among the all other occupations group. The high prevalence of presenteeism found among care assistants is in line with findings from studies from other countries [3][4][5][6]11,20,[27][28][29]. Unlike the present study, other studies have found that nursing professionals have higher levels of presenteeism than other occupations [7,9,16,17,30].…”

Reasons for presenteeism in different occupational branches in Sweden: a population based cross-sectional study

“…Among employees handling symbols the most common answer was 'Nobody else can carry out my responsibilities', which may indicate a high degree of specialization in the occupations involved as well as individualized organization of work tasks and obligations. The shown differences in given reasons for presenteeism between women and men, as well as between young and old are in agreement with other studies (Al Nuhait et al 2017;Dudenhöffer et al 2017;Gustafsson Senden et al 2016;Hansen and Andersen 2008;Jena et al 2012;Johansen et al 2014;Rosvold and Bjertness 2001). One recent research review on presenteeism related to infectious illness, however, concluded that results on gender and age were inconsistent in cases of infectious disease (Webster et al 2019).…”

Associations between job and workplace factors, health and physical factors, personal factors, and presenteeism among general employees in Japan: A longitudinal study

“…In the present study, employees with higher self‐rated health status were more likely to have a lower risk of presenteeism after 1 year. This is generally consistent with previous findings suggesting that poor self‐rated health status is associated with presenteeism 14,15 . Many previous studies suggest that self‐rated health status is associated with various health outcomes.…”

Presenteeism, Psychosocial Working Conditions and Work Ability among Care Workers—A Cross-Sectional Swedish Population-Based Study

“…The study showed that presenteeism was most common among care assistants and that its prevalence among nursing professionals did not deviate from that among the all other occupations group. The high prevalence of presenteeism found among care assistants is in line with findings from studies from other countries [3][4][5][6]11,20,[27][28][29]. Unlike the present study, other studies have found that nursing professionals have higher levels of presenteeism than other occupations [7,9,16,17,30].…”

Reasons for presenteeism in different occupational branches in Sweden: a population based cross-sectional study

“…Among employees handling symbols the most common answer was 'Nobody else can carry out my responsibilities', which may indicate a high degree of specialization in the occupations involved as well as individualized organization of work tasks and obligations. The shown differences in given reasons for presenteeism between women and men, as well as between young and old are in agreement with other studies (Al Nuhait et al 2017;Dudenhöffer et al 2017;Gustafsson Senden et al 2016;Hansen and Andersen 2008;Jena et al 2012;Johansen et al 2014;Rosvold and Bjertness 2001). One recent research review on presenteeism related to infectious illness, however, concluded that results on gender and age were inconsistent in cases of infectious disease (Webster et al 2019).…”