Table 3.
Overview of prognostic factors of RTW in workers with common mental disorders
| Factor | Result | Evidence | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| Disease related factors | |||
| Symptom severity | 4−, 2ne | ||
| Hees et al. [76] | Negative | Full RTW > 4 weeks | |
| Brouwer et al. [72] | No effect | Time to full RTW | |
| Brouwers et al. [71] | Negative | Full RTW (yes vs no) | |
| Vemer et al. [80] | No effect | Full RTW > 4 weeks | |
| Dewa et al. [67] | Negative | RTW part-time or full-time | |
| Hoedeman et al. [73] | Negative | Time until complete RTW | |
| Duration of illness | Insufficient | ||
| Brouwers et al. [71] | Negative | Full RTW (yes vs no) | |
| Body functions and structures | |||
| Conscientiousness | Insufficient | ||
| Hees et al. [76] | Positive | Full RTW > 4 weeks | |
| Activities | |||
| No factors were studied multivariate | |||
| (Work) participation | |||
| (Duration of) previous absenteeism | 4− | ||
| Engstrom and Janson [70] | Negative | RTW after SA > 28 days | |
| Nielsen et al. [74] | Negative | Time to RTW | |
| Brouwers et al. [71] | Negative | Full RTW (yes vs no) | |
| Prang et al. [85] | Negative | Time to sustained RTW > 30 days | |
| Full-time sick leave at baseline | Insufficient | ||
| Netterstrøm et al. [83] | Negative | RTW after 1 year (yes vs no) | |
| Environmental factors | |||
| Benefit plan features | |||
| High deductible | Insufficient | ||
| Salkever et al. [66] | Negative | Time to RTW (claim duration) | |
| Longer preexisting condition exclusion period | Insufficient | ||
| Salkever et al. [66] | Negative | Time to RTW (claim duration) | |
| Having a carve out | Insufficient | ||
| Salkever et al. [66] | Negative | Time to RTW (claim duration) | |
| Mental health benefits and services availability | Insufficient | ||
| Salkever et al. [66] | Positive | Time to RTW (claim duration) | |
| Disability management practices | Insufficient | ||
| Salkever et al. [66] | Positive | Time to RTW (claim duration) | |
| Long term disability policy provisions | |||
| Higher ratio disability benefits to predisability salary | Insufficient | ||
| Salkever et al. [66] | Negative | Time to RTW (claim duration) | |
| Inability to perform own occupation rather than any appropriate occupation | Insufficient | ||
| Salkever et al. [66] | Negative | Time to RTW (claim duration) | |
| Duration to identification of illness by the Occupational Health Service | Insufficient | ||
| Brouwer et al. [72] | No effect | Time to full RTW | |
| General social support | Insufficient | ||
| Brouwer et al. [72] | No effect | Time to full RTW | |
| Consulting a Psychologist or psychiatrist | Insufficient | ||
| Prang et al. [85] | Negative | Time to sustained RTW > 30 days | |
| Treatment condition | 2ne | ||
| Brouwers et al. [71] | No effect | Full RTW (yes vs no) | |
| Vemer et al. [80] | No effect | Full RTW > 4 weeks | |
| Environmental work related factors | |||
| Employment type (private or municipal) | 1−, 1ne | ||
| Nielsen et al. [77] | Negative | Time to RTW (benefits stopped) | |
| Engstrom and Janson [70] | No effect | RTW after SA > 28 days | |
| Size of workplace small | 1−, 1ne | ||
| Nielsen et al. [77] | No effect | Time to RTW (benefits stopped) | |
| Prang et al. [85] | Negative | Time to sustained RTW > 30 days | |
| Work week > 36 h | Insufficient | ||
| Vemer et al. [80] | Negative | Full RTW > 4 weeks | |
| High decision latitude | Insufficient | ||
| Vemer et al. [80] | Negative | Full RTW > 4 weeks | |
| Low decision authority | Insufficient | ||
| Netterstrøm et al. [83] | Negative | RTW after 1 year (yes vs) | |
| Variety in work | Insufficient | ||
| Norder et al. [84] | Positive | Time until full RTW | |
| High job demands | Insufficient | ||
| Netterstrøm et al. [83] | Negative | RTW after 1 year (yes vs no) | |
| Supervisory behavior | |||
| Communication with employee | Insufficient | ||
| Nieuwenhuijsen et al. [68] | Positive | Time to full RTW | |
| Promoting RTW | Insufficient | ||
| Nieuwenhuijsen et al. [68] | No effect | Time to full RTW | |
| Consulting with professionals | Insufficient | ||
| Nieuwenhuijsen et al. [68] | Negative | Time to full RTW | |
| Social support supervisor | 2+ | ||
| Vemer et al. [80] | Positive | Full RTW > 4 weeks | |
| Social support leader | |||
| Netterstrøm et al. [83] | Positive | RTW after 1 year (yes vs no) | |
| Coworker support | 2+ | ||
| Vemer et al. [80] | Positive | Full RTW > 4 weeks | |
| Netterstrøm et al. [83] | Positive | RTW after 1 year (yes vs no) | |
| Interactional justice with supervisor | Insufficient | ||
| Ekberg et al. [82] | Negative | RTW < 3 vs 3–12 months | |
| Contact OP in past 4 weeks | Insufficient | ||
| Brouwers et al. [71] | Negative | Full RTW (yes vs no) | |
| Personal factors | |||
| Older age | 8−, 4ne | ||
| Hees et al. [76] | No effect | Full RTW > 4 weeks | |
| Salkever et al. [66] | Negative | Time to RTW (claim duration) | |
| Engstrom and Janson [70] | Negative | RTW after SA > 28 days | |
| Dewa et al. [67] | Negative | RTW part-time or full-time | |
| Young and Russel [65] | Negative | RTW > 4 months | |
| Hoedeman et al. [73] | Negative | Time until complete RTW | |
| Nieuwenhuijsen et al. [69] | Negative | Time to full RTW | |
| Brouwer et al. [72] | No effect | Time to full RTW | |
| Vemer et al. [80] | Negative | Full RTW > 4 weeks | |
| Nielsen et al. [74] | No effect | Time to RTW | |
| Nielsen et al. [77] | No effect | Time to RTW (benefits stopped) | |
| Prang et al. [85] | Negative | Time to sustained RTW > 30 days | |
| Female gender | 1+, 3−, 6ne | Female gender | |
| Ekberg et al. [82] | No effect | RTW < 3 vs 3–12 months | |
| Engstrom and Janson [70] | Negative | RTW after SA > 28 days | |
| Dewa et al. [67] | No effect | RTW part-time or full-time | |
| Young and Russel [65] | Positive | RTW > 4 months | |
| Brouwer et al. [72] | No effect | Time to full RTW | |
| Vemer et al. [80] | Negative | Full RTW > 4 weeks | |
| Nielsen et al. [74] | No effect | Time to RTW | |
| Nielsen et al. [77] | No effect | Time to RTW (benefits stopped) | |
| Soegaard [79] | No effect | RTW rate | |
| Prang et al. [85] | Negative | Time to sustained RTW > 30 days | |
| Educational level high | 1+, 2−, 2ne | Educational level high | |
| Ekberg et al. [82] | Negative | RTW < 3 vs 3–12 months | |
| Hees et al. [76] | No effect | Full RTW > 4 weeks | |
| Nieuwenhuijsen et al. [69] | Negative | Time to full RTW | |
| Brouwer et al. [72] | Positive | Time to full RTW | |
| Nielsen et al. [77] | No effect | Time to RTW (benefits stopped) | |
| Low socio-economic position | Insufficient | ||
| Virtanen et al. [75] | Negative | RTW after SA ≥ 90 days | |
| Living with adult partner (no children) | Insufficient | ||
| Vemer et al. [80] | Negative | Full RTW > 4 weeks | |
| Co-morbidity | 2−, 2ne | ||
| Dewa et al. [67] | No effect | RTW part-time or full-time | |
| Hees et al. [76] | Negative | Full RTW > 4 weeks | |
| Engstrom and Janson [70] | Negative | RTW after SA > 28 days | |
| Nielsen et al. [77] | No effect | Time to RTW (benefits stopped) | |
| General health perception | 2+, 1ne | ||
| Hees et al. [76] | Positive | Full RTW > 4 weeks | |
| Sampere et al. [78] | No effect | Time to RTW | |
| Nielsen et al. [77] | Positive | Time to RTW (benefits stopped) | |
| Expectations of treatment | Insufficient | ||
| Ekberg et al. [82] | Positive | RTW < 3 vs 3–12 months | |
| Perceived relation between health and job | Insufficient | ||
| Sampere et al. [78] | Negative | Time to RTW | |
| Attributes cause of absenteeism to family problems | Insufficient | ||
| Brouwers et al. [71] | Negative | Full RTW (yes vs no) | |
| Personal work related factors | |||
| Work motivation | 1+, 1ne | ||
| Hees et al. [76] | Positive | Full RTW > 4 weeks | |
| Brouwer et al. [72] | No effect | Time to full RTW | |
| Bullying | 2− | ||
| Netterstrøm et al. [83] | Negative | RTW after 1 year (yes vs no) | |
| Prang et al. [85] | Negative | Time to sustained RTW > 30 days | |
| Self-efficacy | 2+, 3ne | ||
| Willingness to expend effort in completing a behavior | |||
| Brouwer et al. [72] | Positive | Time to full RTW | |
| Willingness to initiate behavior | |||
| Brouwer et al. [72] | No effect | Time to full RTW | |
| Persistence in the face of adversity | |||
| Brouwer et al. [72] | No effect | Time to full RTW | |
| General self-efficacy | |||
| Sampere et al. [78] | No effect | Time to RTW | |
| RTW self-efficacy | |||
| Nieuwenhuijsen et al. [81] | Positive | Time to full RTW | |
| Need for reduced demands at work | Insufficient | ||
| Ekberg et al. [82] | Negative | RTW < 3 vs 3–12 months | |
| Better workability score (WAI) | 2+, 1ne | ||
| Ekberg et al. [82] | Positive | RTW < 3 vs 3–12 months | |
| Sampere et al. [78] | No effect | Time to RTW | |
| Netterstrøm et al. [83] | Positive | RTW after 1 year (yes vs no) | |
| Expectations concerning sick leave duration or RTW | 4+, 1ne | ||
| Brouwers et al. [71] | Positive | Full RTW (yes vs no) | |
| Nieuwenhuijsen et al. [69] | Positive | Time to full RTW | |
| Sampere et al. [78] | Positive | Time to RTW | |
| Nielsen et al. [74] | Positive | Time to RTW | |
| Nieuwenhuijsen et al. [81] | No effect | Time to full RTW | |
| Job-turnover intentions | Insufficient | ||
| Ekberg et al. [82] | Negative | RTW < 3 vs 3–12 months | |
| White collar vs blue collar | Insufficient | ||
| Soegaard [79] | Positive | RTW rate | |
| Occupational category | 2ne | ||
| Engstrom and Janson [70] | No effect | RTW after SA > 28 days | |
| Nielsen et al. [74] | No effect | Time to RTW | |
| Holding a management function | Insufficient | ||
| Vemer et al. [80] | Positive | Full RTW > 4 weeks | |
+ positive related with RTW, − negative related with RTW, ne not related to RTW