Working with a disease or disability

Abstract

How does impaired health affect people’s opportunities of continuing their employment? In this chapter essential information on work trajectories following chronic disease or disability is provided. We start by considering serious conditions that result in early exit from paid work, with a focus on socioeconomically disadvantaged groups. This part is followed by an illustration of the diversity of work trajectories among employed people who return to work. To this end, three scenarios are presented, exemplified by three disorders: job continuity (acute myocardial infarction), job change (spinal cord injury), and job instability (depression). Within each scenario, important psychosocial aspects of re-adaptation and sustainable development are emphasized. Moreover, different models of professional support are discussed, with a focus on evidence of their efficacy. In summary, the chapter documents the bi-directionality of associations between work and health, and it familiarizes readers with concepts and new metrics required to analyse the complexities of these associations.