Cent Eur J Public Health 2015, 23(3):240-243 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a4158

Sickness Presence and Stressful Life Events of Health Care Workers

Alenka Škerjanc, Metoda Dodič Fikfak
University Medical Centre, Clinical Institute of Occupational, Traffic and Sports Medicine, Ljubljana, Slovenia

Aim: The aim of the study is to investigate the relationship between sickness presence and stressful life events among health care workers.

Methods: Data were gathered from all health care workers at the University Medical Centre Ljubljana employed there in the period between 1 January 2010 and 31 December 2010. Each employee obtained a questionnaire composed of two standardized international questionnaires.

Results: There were 57% of sickness present health care workers among the participants. The sickness present reported to have more diseases of family member than the non-sickness present (OR=1.5; 95% CI=1.2-2.0), loan (OR=1.4; 95% CI=1.1-1.6), their partner lost job (OR=1.4; 95% CI=1.0-1.8), or they changed the place of living (OR=1.4; 95% CI=1.0-2.0).

Conclusions: The results of the study indicate that stressful life events with economic consequences might have an important influence on sickness presence.

Keywords: sickness presence, health care workers, stressful life events

Received: November 3, 2014; Revised: March 9, 2015; Accepted: March 9, 2015; Published: September 1, 2015  Show citation

ACS AIP APA ASA Harvard Chicago Chicago Notes IEEE ISO690 MLA NLM Turabian Vancouver
Škerjanc A, Dodič Fikfak M. Sickness Presence and Stressful Life Events of Health Care Workers. Cent Eur J Public Health. 2015;23(3):240-243. doi: 10.21101/cejph.a4158. PubMed PMID: 26615657.
Share...
Download citation
  • BibTeX (.bib)
  • Bookends (.ris)
  • EasyBib (.ris)
  • EndNote (.enw)
  • EndNote 8 (.xml)
  • ISI WoS (.isi)
  • Medlars (.medlars)
  • Mendeley (.ris)
  • MODS (.xml)
  • Papers (.ris)
  • RefWorks (.txt)
  • RefManager (.ris)
  • RIS (.ris)
  • MS Word (.xml)
  • Zotero (.ris)
    • Open full article

    References

    1. The Swedish Ministry of Health and SocialAffairs. The health of Swedish people. In: HS 90 Health in Sweden. Stockholm: 1982. p. 31-47.
    2. McKevitt C, Morgan M, Dundas R, Holland WW. Sickness absence and 'working through' illness: a comparison of two professional groups. J Public Health Med. 1997 Sep;19(3):295-300. Go to original source...
    3. Aronsson G, Gustafsson K, Dallner M. Sick but yet at work.An empirical study of sickness presenteeism. J Epidemiol Community Health. 2000 Jul;54(7):502-9. Go to original source...
    4. Aronsson G, Gustafsson K. Sickness presenteeism: prevalence, attendance-pressure factors, and an outline of a model for research. J Occup Environ Med. 2005 Sep;47(9):958-66. Go to original source...
    5. Bergström G, Bodin L, Hagberg J, Aronsson G, Josephson M. Does sickness presenteeism have an impact on future general health? Int Arch Occup Environ Health. 2009 Nov;82(10):1179-90. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    6. Bergström G, Bodin L, Hagberg J, Lindh T, Aronsson G, Josephson M. Sickness presenteeism today, sickness absenteeism tomorrow?Aprospective study on sickness presenteeism and future sickness absenteeism. J Occup Environ Med. 2009 Jun;51(6):629-38. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    7. Johns G. Presenteeism in the workplace: a review and research agenda. J Organ Behav. 2010 May;31(4):519-42. Go to original source...
    8. Demerouti E, Le Blanc PM, Bakker AB, Schaufeli WB, Hox J. Present but sick: a three-wave study on job demands, presenteeism and burnout. Career Dev Int. 2009;14(1):50-68. Go to original source...
    9. Vahtera J, Kivimäki M, Pentti J, Linna A, Virtanen M, Virtanen P, Ferrie JE. Organizational downsizing, sickness absence, and mortality: 10-town prospective cohort study. BMJ. 2004 Mar 6;328(7439):555. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    10. Johansson G, Lundberg I. Adjustment latitude and attendance requirements as determinants of sickness absence or attendance. Empirical tests of the illness flexibility model. Soc Sci Med. 2004 May;58(10):1857-68. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    11. Dew K, Keefe V, Small K. 'Choosing' to work when sick: workplace presenteeism. Soc Sci Med. 2005 May;60(10):2273-82. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    12. Callen BL, Lindley LC, Niederhauser VP. Health risk factors associated with presenteeism in the workplace. J Occup Environ Med. 2013 Nov;55(11):1312-7.
    13. BerdavsA, Stanojević M.Work and leisure in USAand Slovenia [diploma thesis]. Ljubljana: University of Ljubljana; 2008. p. 36-55. (In Slovenian.)
    14. Caverley N, Cunningham JB, MacGregor JN. Sickness presenteeism, sickness absenteeism, and health following restructuring in a public service organization. J Manage Stud. 2007 Mar;44(2):304-19. Go to original source...
    15. Heponiemi T, Elovainio M, Pentti J, Virtanen M, Westerlund H, Virtanen P, et al. Association of contractual and subjective job insecurity with sickness presenteeism among public sector employees. J Occup Environ Med. 2010 Aug;52(8):830-5. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    16. Elstad JI, Vabø M. Job stress, sickness absence and sickness presenteeism in Nordic elderly care. Scand J Public Health. 2008 Jul;36(5):467-74. Go to original source...
    17. Rantanen I, Tuominen R. Relative magnitude of presenteeism and absenteeism and work-related factors affecting them among health care professionals. Int Arch Occup Environ Health. 2011 Feb;84(2):225-30. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    18. Holmes TH, Rahe RH. The social readjustment rating scale. J Psychosom Res. 1967 Aug;11(2):213-8. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    19. Merchant JA, Kelly KM, Burmeister LF, Lozier MJ, Amendola A, Lind DP, et al. Employment status matters: a statewide survey of quality-oflife, prevention behaviors, and absenteeism and presenteeism. J Occup Environ Med. 2014 Jul;56(7):686-98. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    20. JenaAB, Baldwin DC Jr, Daugherty SR, Meltzer DO,Arora VM. Presenteeism among resident physicians. JAMA. 2010 Sep 15;304(11):1166-8. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    21. LaVella S, Goldenstein B, Smith B, Weaver FM. Working with symptoms of a respiratory infection: staff who care for high-risk individuals. Am J Infect Control. 2007 Sep;35(7):448-54. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    22. Notenbomer A, Roelen CA, Groothoff JW. Job satisfaction and shortterm sickness absence among Dutch workers. Occup Med (Lond). 2006 Jun;56(4):279-81. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    23. Gustafsson K, Marklund S. Consequences of sickness presence and sickness absence on health and work ability: a Swedish prospective cohort study. Int J Occup Med Environ Health. 2011 Jun;24(2):153-65. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    24. MacGregor JN, Cunningham JB, Caverley N. Factors in absenteeism and presenteeism: life events and health events. Manag Res News. 2008;31(8):607-15. Go to original source...
    25. Dodič Fikfak M. Health of the people in time of crisis. Ljubljana: Glasnik KIMDPŠ; 2010. (In Slovenian.)
    26. Eurostat [Internet]. Luxembourg: European Commission; 2015 [cited 2015 Mar 7]. Unemployment rate by age group. Available from: http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/tgm/table.do?tab=table&init=1〈uage=en&pcode=tsdec460&plugin=1.
    27. Hansen CD, Andersen JH. Going ill to work - what personal circumstances, attitudes and work-related factors are associated with sickness presenteesim? Soc Sci Med. 2008 Sep;67(6):956-64. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    28. Claes R. Employee correlates of sickness presence: a study across four European countries. Work Stress. 2011;25(3):224-42. Go to original source...
    29. Richard I, Huver B, Richard S. Working when sick: do managers lead by example. In: Tsounis N, Vlachvei A, Gaetano M, Monovasilis T, eds. Proceedings: International Conference On Applied Economics 2011 [Internet]. Kastoria: TEI of Wester Macedonia Press; 2011 [cited 2014 Oct 9]. Available from: http://kastoria.teikoz.gr/icoae2/wordpress/wpcontent/uploads/2011/10/054.pdf.
    30. Sampere M, Gimeno D, Serra C, Plana M, Martínez JM, Delclos GL, et al. Organizational return to work support and sick leave duration: a cohort of Spanish workers with a long-term non-work-related sick leave episode. J Occup Environ Med. 2011 Jun;53(6):674-9. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    31. Schreuder JA, Roelen CA, van der Klink JJ, Groothof JW. Characteristic of zero-absenteeism in hospital care. Occup Med (Lond). 2013 Jun;63(4):266-73. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...

    Return to the content