Return to work among employees with mental health problems: Development and validation of a self-efficacy questionnaire

Abstract

Because of the costs to both the organization and the individual, it is important that employees who are sick-listed with mental health problems are facilitated in their return to work (RTW). In order to provide adequate interventions, it is necessary to obtain a better understanding of the RTW process of people with mental health problems. Work-related selfefficacy (SE) might play a key role within this process. This paper describes the development and validation of the return-to-work self-efficacy' scale (RTW-SE) for employees with mental health problems. Three Dutch samples of sick-listed employees were used to validate the 11-item instrument (N 0 2214). Based on the factor structure and reliability results, RTW-SE was conceptualized as a unitary construct. The associations with general SE, locus of control, coping, physical workload and mental health problems support the construct validity of this scale. Most importantly, RTW-SE proved to be a robust predictor of actual return to work within three months. The encouraging preliminary psychometric properties of the scale make it a potentially valuable tool in research and in clinical practice and occupational health care settings, both before and after employees have returned to work.

Return to Work in Multi-ethnic Breast Cancer Survivors - A Qualitative Inquiry

“…It is likely that breast cancer survivors may suffered from low self-esteem with a general lack of confidence in RTW, and several women from the non-RTW groups offered that they may opt for part-time work because they were not confident for full time work. Indeed, selfconfidence and specific RTW self -efficacy have been shown to influence breast cancer survivors' decision in return to work (Labriola et al, 2007;Lagerveld et al, 2010). For others, even dressing for work can be an issue in returning to work.…”

Predicting the Effectiveness of Work-Focused CBT for Common Mental Disorders: The Influence of Baseline Self-Efficacy, Depression and Anxiety

“…Based on self-efficacy theory [21,22] it can be expected that employees with low RTW-SE are more inclined to postpone their RTW and are less successful in their attempts to RTW. RTW-SE indeed appeared to be a robust predictor of RTW among sick listed employees with CMD [13,24].…”

“…RTW-SE was measured with an 11-item scale developed by Lagerveld et al [13]. Participants were asked to respond to statements about their jobs, imagining that they would start working their full contract hours the following day, in their present emotional state/state of mind.…”

“…We therefore expect that especially individuals with high levels of RTW-SE may benefit from W-CBT. As RTW-SE predicts actual RTW among sick listed employees with CMD [13,24], we assume that individuals with high self-efficacy are better able to perform exercises that address (return to) work and to take the necessary steps to (partially) RTW. Having confidence in their ability to deal with challenges and setbacks in the RTW process, these individuals may experience less tension and negative mood during work-focused exercises, they may be more likely to recognize success experiences as such, and may be better able to recover from, and deal with, relapses.…”

“…RTW self-efficacy is an overarching construct that relates to the multifactorial nature of RTW, taking into account both mental health symptoms and the work context, which is not only useful for understanding and facilitating the RTW process [13], but may also predict who will benefit most from interventions that aim to enhance RTW [14]. In a similar vein, individuals' level of mental health symptoms might be a relevant predictor for treatment success [15].…”