RETURN-TO-WORK SELF-EFFICACY AFTER OCCUPATIONAL REHABILITATION FOR MUSCULOSKELETAL AND COMMON MENTAL HEALTH DISORDERS: SECONDARY OUTCOMES OF A RANDOMIZED CLINICAL TRIAL

Objective: To assess the effects of adding a work-place intervention to inpatient occupational rehabilitation on return-to-work self-efficacy, and whether changes in return-to-work self-efficacy were associated with future work outcomes. Design: Randomized clinical trial. Subjects: Individuals aged 18-60 years, sick-listed 2-12 months were randomized to multimodal inpatient rehabilitation with (n = 88) or without (n = 87) a workplace intervention. Methods: Between-group differences for 4 months follow-up were assessed using linear mixed models. Associations between self-efficacy scores and future sickness absence days during 12 months of followup were assessed by linear regression. Results: There were no statistically significant between-group differences in self-efficacy during follow-up. Participants with high or medium self-efficacy scores at the end of rehabilitation had fewer sickness absence days during follow-up compared with participants with low scores. Participants with consistently high scores or an increasing score through-out the programme showed fewer sickness absence days than those with reduced or consistently low scores. Conclusion: Receiving an added workplace intervention did not increase return-to-work self-efficacy more than standard inpatient occupational rehabilitation alone. High scores and a positive development in return-to-work self-efficacy were associated with higher work participation. This suggests that return-to-work self-efficacy could be an important factor to consider in the return-to-work process.

Automated summary

The study found that adding a workplace intervention to inpatient occupational rehabilitation did not significantly increase return-to-work self-efficacy. Participants with high self-efficacy scores at the end of rehabilitation had fewer sickness absence days in the future, indicating that self-efficacy is associated with work participation.