Hostname: page-component-7c8c6479df-94d59 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-03-27T02:33:10.925Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Sick-Leave due to Psychiatric Disorder: Higher Incidence among Women and Longer Duration for Men

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

Gunnel Hensing*
Affiliation:
Department of Community Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Linköping University, Sweden
Kristina Alexanderson
Affiliation:
Department of Community Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Linköping University, Sweden
Peter Allebeck
Affiliation:
Department of Community Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Linköping University, Sweden
Per Bjurulf
Affiliation:
Department of Social Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Vasa Hospital, University of Gothenburg, Sweden
*
Dr Gunnel Hensing, Department of Community Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, S-581/85 Linköping, Sweden

Abstract

Background

Women take sick-leave more often than men, both in general and because of psychiatric disorders. The aim of the present study was to introduce the new dimension of sick-leave duration in the analysis of gender differences in minor psychiatric disorders.

Method

A population-based register was used which included all sick-leave spells exceeding seven consecutive days, 1985–1987, in a Swedish county.

Results

Sick-leave duration was longer for men. The greatest gender differences were found in the youngest and oldest age-groups. Women had higher incidence also in the longest spells. An increase in duration over the three years was found among women, leading to decreased gender differences.

Conclusions

Contrary to other studies on minor psychiatric disorders, small gender differences were found. It is suggested that sick-leave duration can be used as a quantitative measure of health-related working capacity.

Type
Papers
Copyright
Copyright © 1996 The Royal College of Psychiatrists 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Alexanderson, K., Leuon, M., Åkerlind, I., et al (1994) Epidemiology of sickness absence in a Swedish county in 1985, 1986 and 1987. Scandinavian Journal of Social Medicine, 1, 2734.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Arbetsmarknadsstyrelsen (1983) Nordisk yrkesklassificering (In Swedish) (Nordic Occupational Classification). Stockholm: Arbetsmarknadsstyrelsen.Google Scholar
Brovermkan, I. K., Broverman, D. M., Clarkson, F. E., et al (1970) Sex-role stereotypes and clinical judgements of mental health. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 34, 17.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fargone, S. V., Chen, W. J., Goldstein, J. M., et al (1994) Gender differences in age at onset of schizophrenia. British Journal of Psychiatry, 164, 625629.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Greenley, J. R., & Mullen, J. A. (1990) Help seeking and the use of mental health services. Research in Community and Mental Health, 6, 325350.Google Scholar
Hensing, G., Alexanderson, K., Åkerlind, I., et al (1995) Sick-leave due to minor psychiatric morbidity: role of sex integration. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 30, 3943.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Jenkins, R. (1985) Sex differences in minor psychiatric morbidity. Psychological Medicine, 7(monograph suppl.), 153.Google ScholarPubMed
Jenkins, R. (1986) Sex differences in alcohol consumption and its associated morbidity in young Civil Servants. British Journal of Addiction, 81, 525535.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kessler, R. C., Brown, R. L. & Broman, C. L. (1981) Sex differences in psychiatric help-seeking: evidence from four large-scale surveys. Journal of Health and Social Behaviour, 22, 4964.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kristensen, T. S. (1991) Sickness absence and work strain among Danish slaughterhouse workers: an analysis of absence from work regarded as coping behaviour. Social Science and Medicine, 32, 1527.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Leaf, P. J. & Livingstone-Bruce, M. (1987) Gender differences in the use of mental health-related services: a re-examination. Journal of Health and Social Behaviour, 28, 171183.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ljungdahl, L. & Biurulf, P. (1991) The accordance of diagnoses in a computerized sick-leave register with doctors' certificates and medical records. Scandinavian Journal of Social Medicine, 19, 148153.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Marmot, M. G., North, F., Feeney, A., et al (1993) Alcohol consumption and sickness absence: from the Whitehall II study. Addiction, 88, 369382.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Marmot, M. G., Feeney, A., Shipley, M., et al (1995) Sickness absence as a measure of health status and functioning: from the UK Whitehall II study. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, 49, 124130.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Nolen-Hoeksema, S. (1987) Sex differences in unipolar depression: evidence and theory. Psychological Bulletin, 101, 259282.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Nordic Medico-Statistical Committee (1977) Code-List for Diagnoses used in Ambulatory Care. Based on the International Classification of Diseases (8th revision). Stockholm: Socialstyrelson.Google Scholar
North, F., Syme, S. L., Feeney, A., et al (1993) Explaining socioeconomic differences in sickness absence: the Whitehall II study. British Medical Journal, 306, 361366.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rutz, W., Von Knorring, L., Pihlgren, H., et al (1995) An educational project on depression and its consequences: is the frequency of major depression among Swedish men underrated, resulting in high suicidality? Psychiatry in Primary Care, 1, 5963.Google Scholar
Stansfeld, S. F., Feeney, A., Head, J., et al (1995) Sickness absence for psychiatric illness: the Whitehall II study. Social Science and Medicine, 40, 189197.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Vogel, J., Kindlund, H. & Diderichsen, F. (1992) Working conditions, Illness and Sickness Absence in 1975–1989. (in Swedish). Stockholm: Statistics, Sweden.Google Scholar
Weissman, M. M. & Klerman, G. L. (1992) Depression: current understanding and changing trends. Annual Review of Public Health, 13, 319339.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Submit a response

eLetters

No eLetters have been published for this article.