Table 2.
Key information from each study included in the review: author, population, outcome of interest, definition and incidence of SRTW, and positive and negative predictors of following leave due to mental disorders
| Author | Population | Assessed outcome | SRTW | Predictors | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Definition | Incidence | Positive | Negative | |||
| Mishima et al.22 | Automotive industry workers in Japan on sick leave for at least 30 days due to mental disorders | Relationship between the number of prior mental disorder episodes and SRTW | Return to work with no new sick leave episodes for at least 30 days | 23-86% over 36 months | - | Higher number of previous mental disorder episodes |
| Aasdahl et al.28 | Workers on leave for 2-12 months due to mental, musculoskeletal, or general/unspecified disorders | Expectations about leave duration and SRTW | 1 month without receiving sickness benefits after returning to work | 41% over 9 months | Positive expectations about duration of leave | - |
| Black et al.23 | Workers on leave for 4-6 months due to mental or musculoskeletal disorders | Relationship between return-to-work self-efficacy and SRTW | Return to regular or modified duties with no new sick leave for at least 28 days | 37.9% at 6 months; 21.5% at 12 months | Return-to-work self-efficacy during early recovery | |
| Jetha et al. 24 | Workers on leave, recruited on average 3-4 months after work-related psychological/mental or musculoskeletal injuries | Social impact of workplace environment and SRTW | Return to regular or modified duties with no new sick leave for at least 28 days | 59% at baseline; 70% after 6 months | Positive supervisor response to the ill worker | - |
| Halonen et al.25 | Workers on leave for >30 days due to various disorders (musculoskeletal, mental, injury, cardiovascular, neurological, cancer, others) | Impact of official mandatory notification of extended absences (>30 days) and SRTW | Return to full-time work for at least 28 consecutive days | - | Official notification of extended absences (>30 days) | - |
| Kausto et al.26 | Workers with musculoskeletal, mental health, injury, cardiovascular, neurological, cancer, and other disorders as well as subsequent SWTR | Association between duration of sick leave and SRTW and its predictors | Return to work with no new sick leave episodes for at least 30 days | 80% (depression); 93% (anxiety disorders) | Female sex (in cases of major depression) | Older age, persistent health problems in both sexes, and comorbidities in women |
| Viikari-Juntura et al.10 | Workers on full or partial leave due to mental or musculoskeletal disorders | Effectiveness of partial sick leave and SRTW | Return to regular work duties, fullor part-time, for at least 28 consecutive days | 77.5% | Partial sick leave | - |
| Prang et al.27 | Workers on leave for at least 10 days due to mental disorders (stress-related disorders, posttraumatic stress disorder, or other mental illness) | Predictors of SRTW in workers on leave due to mental disorders | Full return to pre-injury work with no new absences or benefits for at least 30 days | 93.9% over 2 years | - | Female sex, older age, bullying/harassment or pressure as mechanism of illness onset, psychiatric/psychological follow-up, prescribed medication use, higher number of prior episodes, longer leave duration, employment in small enterprises or specific sectors (manufacturing, trade, telecommunications, public services, education, finance), high skill level (education) |
SRTW = sustained return to work.