A study done on the "health effects of being out of work"

At a glance: The Study found that people who are out of work are

at greater risk of: Poor physical health and wellbeing and Poor

mental health.

Emotional wellbeing.
Ability to cope with difficulty and enjoy life.
The absence of a mental health problem and wellbeing.
Mental health problems.
Suicide and suicide attempts.
Social isolation and loss of self confidence.
Death.

Perspectives:

Employee
Work provides income, but it is also important to a person's mental wellbeing
and self-belief. The roles people play in their family and in society are partly
shaped by their work. The longer someone stays off work, the less likely they
are to return. Even after a few weeks their chances of returning are reduced.
Many people who have been off work for a few years acknowledge that if they
had known the path ahead they would have been much more proactive about
their situation.Being off work with an injury is difficult for most people. Aside
from worries about health and problems coping with pain, there are the official
or bureaucratic processes that need to be worked through and understood.
Work is an important goal in itself. It is an essential part of your recovery process.
Try to get the support you need with the return to work process.

Employer
Work is important for people's health and well-being. A return to work is
likely to be successful when the employee is engaged, and feels like a productive

member of the team. Re-engaging people improves their well-being, and

benefits the company.

Treater
This substantial review of a large body of literature provides solid evidence
that work is generally good for people's health and well-being. Remaining off
work is a hazard for medium to long-term health. It carries an increased risk
of health problems and increased risk of death from a variety of conditions.
A few weeks of sick leave may not seem a major problem, but we know that
the longer someone stays off work the less likely they are to successfully
return.

This review provides good evidence that treating practitioners

Treating practitioner. - A health professional that treats patients.
In return to work this may include doctors, physiotherapists, chiropractors,
osteopaths, psychologists, masseurs, etc. should give clear advice to patients.
Many patients do not see the path ahead, and the authors of this paper call on
treating practitioners to focus on the return to work as an important outcome

Insurer
Mental health problems,
depression,

Depression:
A symptom of mood disorder characterized by intense feelings of loss,
sadness, hopelessness, failure, and rejection. Major depression is likely to
interfere significantly with everyday activity, with symptoms including
insomnia, irritability, weight loss, and a lack of interest in outside events.
The disorder may last several months or longer—and may recur—but
it is generally reversible in the short run. suicide and attempted suicide,
heart disease, cancers, and overall rates of illness and death increase when
people remain out of work.Return to work is most successful when all parties
work together towards a common goal. Clear communication and support for
people with an injury is an important aspect of helping them back to work.

Psychosocial - Refers to psychological and social factors.
Examples of psychosocial factors that affect return to work area include: a

person’s beliefs about how they will cope with their condition, the

attitude of the inured worker's family to their condition and return to work,

the employer's return to work policy and the influence of the WorkCover

system on a person and Disability Research, Cardiff University, UK.2Burton –

Centre for Health and Social Care Research, University of Huddersfield, UK

3Aylward – Unumprovident Centre for Psychosocial and Disability Research,

Cardiff University, UK

Background, Study Objectives, How It Was Done:
Over the last 25 years work has become safer, but sickness absence has

increased. This paper was a review of a broad range of studies exploring the

impact of work on health. Only the first part of this paper has been

summarised here.

Study Findings:

The reviewers divided the analysis into the sections below.

1. Health effects of being out of work.

There was strong evidence that being out of work has the following
consequences:

Increased risk of dying
Increased risk of dying from heart disease, lung cancer, and suicide.
Poorer physical health, including heart disease.
High blood pressure and chest infections.
Poorer general health and poorer self reports of health and well-being.
Increased long-term illness.
Poorer mental health and well-being.
Increased likelihood of suicide attempts.
Higher rates of medical attendance and hospital admission.

2. Health effects of being long-term out of work

The authors advised long-term worklessness is one of the

greatest risks to health, with:
2-3 times the risk of poor health
2-3 times the risk mental illness
Significantly increased risk of depression
20% excess deaths
Long-term worklessness carries more risk to health than

many “killer diseases," and more risk than most dangerous

jobs (e.g. construction, working on an oil rig)

3. How being out of work affects health

The researchers examined the evidence, and evaluated the

quality of each study to ensure that their conclusions were

not inaccurate. They were clear that being out of work was

actually causing or contributing significantly to poorer health.

4. Being out of work might affect health in the following ways:

Being out of work results in reduced income for most people.
Reduced income has a negative effect on health, and also causes

anxiety.
Being out of work effects mood, which can have a negative effect

on mental health.

Some studies suggest that being out of work increases risky

behaviours, such as increased smoking and decreased exercise.
Not all of the evidence supports this view, however.

Being out of work for one period may increase the likelihood of

being out of work again later on.The authors note that although

being out of work generally had negative effects on health, it can

lead to improved health and well-being for a minority of people

(about 5-10%). This seems to be the case when people are financially

secure, and have made a positive decision to remain out of the

workforce.

Health effects of re-employment:When an individual returns to

employment, signs of general health and well being improve.

(E.g. self-esteem, self-reported health, physical health, and

self-satisfaction.)

Returning to the workforce improves minor psychiatric health

problems and psychiatric distress.

The security of the new job, as well as the person's motivation

and job satisfaction are important factors in improvement after

returning to work.

People who have returned to work are healthier than those

who have not. One might assume that people with better health

in the first place are simply more likely to return to work. However

the researchers took this possibility into account, and concluded

that most of the improvement was directly caused by
re-employment.

Conclusions:
The authors of this paper emphasized the importance of rehabilitation

Rehabilitation
The process of helping a person back to their former abilities and quality

of life (or as close as possilble) after injury or a medical condition. and

supporting employees' return to work. They indicate that work is an important

goal in itself, and an essential part of any recovery process.Rehabilitation is not

just a matter for doctors, but should be a focus of all parties in the work disability

Disability
A condition or function that leaves a person unable to do tasks that most other

people can do. system. The authors comment that all players must work together

to achieve common goals to care for individual patients and improve public health.

References: PubMedAbstract

Original Article, Authors & Publication Details:
G. Waddell1, K. Burton2 and M. Aylward3 (2007).Work and Common Health

Problems. Journal of Insurance Medicine; 39(2):109-120.1Waddell –

Unumprovident Centre for Psychosocial

Provided by: VWA Your loss is their GAIN COMPLAIN!