Hearing difficulties is a growing public health problem and more knowledge of consequences of those difficulties in working life is warranted. Aims: To study the future risk of being granted a disability pension (DP) among people with sickness absence with an otoaudiological diagnoses (OAD) compared to other sickness absentees. Methods: A population-based prospective cohort study of all 40,786 people in a Swedish county who in 1985 were aged 16-64 and had a new sick-leave spell greater than 7 days. Those were followed for 12 years with regard to DP. Hazard ratios (HR) + 95% confidence intervals (CI) of being granted DP was calculated among those with sick leave due to OAD compared to people with sickness absence with other diagnoses. Results: In 1985, 515 people had a new sick-leave spell with an OAD. Twelve years later, 36% of those had been granted DP, compared to 24% of all other sickness absentees. Their HR for DP was 1.42 (95% CI 1.23-1.64) adjusting for gender and age. Compared to men, women with an OAD had a HR of DP of 1.24 (95% CI 0.90-1.71), when adjusted for age. The HR for DP regarding those aged greater than 45 years and sickness absent with OAD was 2.63 (95% CI 1.95-3.55) compared to the sickness absentees with OAD below 45 years of age, adjusted for gender. Conclusions: The risk for future DP was more than 40% higher among those initially on sickness absence due to OAD than among other sickness absentees.

Several methodological challenges arise when attempting to analyse individual data on changes of sick-leave diagnoses over several years. Sick-leave spells for a person can recur, have different sick-leave diagnoses, and both these aspects are dependent of previous episodes, the numbers of repeated periods vary across subjects, and standard statistical methods are not valid for variables on nominal scales, e. g. sick-leave diagnoses. Objective: Our aim was to ascertain whether the number and pattern of changes in sick-leave diagnoses are associated with future disability pension (DP) and to test methods for analysis of repeated measurements on nominal data. Participants: Data from a 12-year prospective cohort study of the 8000 sick-leave periods of the 213 persons aged 25-34 who, in 1985, had a new sick-leave spell andgt;= 28 days with back diagnoses were used. Methods: We used entropies, uncertainty coefficients adjusted for repeated measurements, and transition matrices to examine the changes in sick-leave diagnoses that occurred during follow up. Results: In the 12 years 22% were granted DP and they had changed sick-leave diagnosis less frequently and more often had new sick-leave periods with musculoskeletal diagnoses than the others. The variation in diagnoses and the degree of dependence between consecutive diagnoses were associated with DP. Conclusions: Many tools in statistics are based on linear methods that require numerical variables, but such methods are not valid for repeated measurements on discrete variables on nominal scales, as for sick-leave diagnosis. In such cases, it can be beneficial to use tools that are applied in statistical information theory.

Objective: To study future general and diagnoses-specific sickness absence and disability pension among young adults who were initially on long-term sick-leave due to back, neck, or shoulder diagnoses. Design: Eleven-year prospective cohort study. Subjects: All 213 adults in a Swedish municipality who, in 1985, were in the age range 25-34 years and had begun a spell of sick-leave lasting andgt;= 28 days with low back, neck, or shoulder diagnoses. Methods: For the time-period 1985-96, data regarding the dates and diagnoses for all periods of sick-leave, and the dates of disability pension, emigration, and death were obtained. Numbers of days of sick-leave and disability pension were analysed separately for each of the 11 years in relation to the number of days at risk for such benefits. Results: The cohort members were on sick-leave or disability pension for 25% of all days at risk during the 11 years of follow-up. A large difference in the number of sick-leave days between the 220% of subjects who were later granted disability pension and the others was already apparent during the first 2 years. During the entire period, up to 21% of the sick-leave days for women and 24% for men entailed psychiatric diagnoses. Conclusion: This cohort of young adults, initially off sick for 4 weeks due to back, neck, or shoulder diagnoses, also had a high level of sickness absence in the subsequent 11 years with other diagnoses.

Aim: The aim of the study was to assess excess mortality related to disability pension (DP) status and DP diagnoses in Norway and Sweden during 1990-96. Methods: Representative samples of the population aged 30-59 years, without DP at baseline 1 January 1990, 71,293 women and 76,928 men from Norway, and 68,181 women and 71,950 men from Sweden, were followed up during 1990-96. Granting of DP, DP diagnosis, age and gender were explanatory variables in Cox proportional hazards analysis with death from all causes as the outcome variable. Results: Among women, 10.4% in Sweden and 7.1% in Norway obtained DP, as compared to 7.5% and 5.6% of the men. In Sweden, 66% of female and 49% of male DP recipients had musculoskeletal diagnoses, as compared to 40% and 27% in Norway. In Sweden, 3.0% of the women and 6.1% of the men with DP died, as compared to 4.6% and 8.5% in Norway. Hazard ratios (HRs) for women with DP vs. the non-DP group were 3.2 (95% confidence interval (CI) 2.7-3.8) in Sweden, and 4.9 (95% CI = 4.1-5.7) in Norway. Among men with DP, there was no difference in mortality rate between the countries. HRs for men with musculoskeletal diagnoses vs. the non-DP group were 1.5 (95% CI = 1.1-2.0) in Norway and 1.4 (95% CI = 1.1-1.8) in Sweden. In both countries, the mortality rate among female disability pensioners with musculoskeletal diagnoses was not increased. Conclusions: The study confirmed an increased mortality rate among disability pensioners, except for women with musculoskeletal diagnoses. The mortality pattern related to DP diagnoses was similar in the two countries. A high frequency of musculoskeletal DP diagnoses among women with DP in Sweden explained a lower mortality rate as compared to Norway.

Research is limited regarding occupational stress in academic physicians; professionals whose work situation includes the three areas of clinical practice, research, and teaching. The aim of this study was to gain knowledge of factors experienced as stressful by academic physicians employed by a university hospital. A questionnaire assessing the frequency and intensity of 36 potentially stressful factors was sent to all 157 academic physicians who were employed at the Linköping University Hospital, Sweden. The response rate was 77%. Both a high frequency and intensity of stress was experienced by 66% of the academic physicians in relation to "time pressure" and by almost 50% in connection with both "find time for research" and having "conflict of interest between different work assignments". Moreover, physicians in the higher age group and those who had attained a higher academic position experienced less stress. The female participants experienced more stress than the males due to gender-related problems and to variables associated with relationships at work. More knowledge is needed to determine the consequences of this finding and to identify coping strategies used for handling such stress.

Background: Little is known about future sick-leave diagnoses among individuals on long-term sickness absence. The aim of this study was to describe the panorama of sick-leave diagnoses over time among young adults initially sick-listed for andgt;= 28 days due to back, neck, or shoulder diagnoses Methods: An 11-year prospective population-based cohort study including all 213 individuals in a Swedish municipality who, in 1985, were aged 25-34 years and had a new sick-leave spell andgt;= 28 days due to neck, shoulder, or back diagnoses. Results: Over the 11-year period, the young adults in this cohort had 176,825 sick-leave days in 7,878 sick-leave periods (in 4,610 sick-leave spells) due to disorders in 17 of the 18 ICD-8 diagnostic categories (International Classification of Diseases, Revision 8). Musculoskeletal or mental diagnoses accounted for most of the sick-leave days, whereas most of the sick-leave periods were due to musculoskeletal, respiratory, or infectious disorders, or to unclassified symptoms. Most cohort members had had four to eight different sick-leave diagnoses over the 11 years, although some had had up to 11 diagnoses. Only two individuals (1%) had been sickness absent solely due to musculoskeletal diagnoses. Conclusion: Although the young adults initially were sick listed with back, neck, or shoulder diagnoses, their sickness absence during the follow up were due to a wide variety of other medical diagnoses. It might be that the ill-health content of sickness absence due to back pain is greater than usually assumed. More research on prognoses of sick-leave diagnoses among long-term sick listed is warranted.

Objective: To analyse different aspects of positive experiences of people on long-term sick leave with regard to their interactions with healthcare and social insurance professionals.

Methods: A random population-based questionnaire survey among 10,042 long-term sick-listed people in Sweden. Statements related to positive encounters with the professionals were analysed. Factor analysis and logistic regression was used to identify possible associations with gender, age, marital status, country of birth, level of education, part- or full-time sickness absence, self-rated health, depression during the past year, and reasons for sick leave.

Results: Ninety-two percent of respondents had experienced positive encounters with healthcare and 73% had experienced positive encounters with social insurance. The mean rating was higher for healthcare. The respondents agreed most with the items "treated me with respect", "listened to me", and "was nice to me". Three aspects of interactions were identified: competence, personal attention, and confidence and trust. Women, people born in Sweden, and individuals with good self-rated health experienced the inter-actions as most positive.

Conclusion: The majority of the respondents on long-term sickness absence have had positive interactions with healthcare and social insurance. More research is required to determine the impact that such experiences might have on return to work, and how such interactions might be promoted.

Background: Knowledge on predictors of disability pension is very limited. The aim was to assess the importance of sick-leave diagnosis and socio-demographic variables as risk factors for disability pension among individuals on long-term sickness absence and to compare these factors by gender and over time. Methods: A prospective population-based cohort study in Östergötland County, Sweden, included 19 379 individuals who, in 1985-87, were aged 16-60 years and had a new spell of long-term sickness absence lasting <56 days. Follow-up was done in two time frames: 0-5 and 6-10 years after inclusion. The risk of disability pension in relation to sick-leave diagnosis and socio-demographic factors was assessed by Cox proportional hazard regression analysis. Results: In 5 years, after inclusion, 28% of the cohort had been granted disability pension. Those with higher age, low income, previous sick leave, no employment and non-Swedish origin had higher risk of disability pension, while those with young children had lower risk. Considering the inclusion diagnosis, the pattern differed between men and women (P < 0.001). Among men, those with mental disorders had the highest risk and among women those with musculoskeletal disorders. Except for income, the effect of which was reversed over time, the overall pattern of disability pension predictors remained 6-10 years after inclusion but was attenuated. Conclusion: Besides socio-demographic risk factors, the sick-leave diagnoses constitute an important both medium and long-term predictor of disability pension among both men and women on long-term sickness absence. © 2008. The Author(s).

Objective: To investigate diagnosis-specific sick leave as a risk marker for subsequent disability pension. Design: A prospective population based cohort study. Exposure to a new medically certified sick leave episode of more than seven days by diagnosis during 1985 was examined in relation to incident cause-specific disability pension through 1996. Participants: The total non-retired population of one Swedish county aged 16 to 49 years, alive and not in receipt of a disability pension at the end of 1985 (176 629 persons, 51% men). Main results: To eliminate confounding by sick leaves that translate into a disability pension, the follow up period for disability pension was started five years after the assessment of sick leave. After adjustment for demographic characteristics, the risk of disability pension from mental disorders was 14.1 times higher (95% confidence interval (CI), 12.1 to 16.4) for those with sick leave for mental disorders than for those with no sick leave. The corresponding hazard ratio for sick leave and disability pension within diagnostic category was 5.7 (95% CI, 5.3 to 6.2) for musculoskeletal diseases and 13.0 (7.7 to 21.8) for gastrointestinal diseases. Irrespective of diagnoses, the hazard ratio for sick leave and disability pension was 3.0 (2.9 to 3.1). Conclusions: Sick leave may provide an important risk marker for identifying groups at high risk of a disability pension, especially for psychiatric diagnoses.