Affiliations: Institute of Occupational Therapy and Physiotherapy,
Göteborg University, Sweden | Department of Occupational Therapy, University of
Lund, Sweden | Department of Community Medicine, University of Lund,
Sweden | Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University
Hospital, Lund, Sweden
Note: [] Address for correspondence: Carita Håkansson, Doctoral
student, Reg. OT., The Sahlgrenska Academy, Göteborg University, Division
of Health and Caring Sciences, Institute of Occupational Therapy and
Physiotherapy, Box 455, SE-405 30 Göteborg, Sweden. Tel.: +46 031 773 61
15; Fax: +46 031 773 57 23; E-mail: [email protected]
Abstract: One purpose of the present study is to explore the stability of the
pattern of health/work and sickness absence among middle-aged women over a
period of three years. This study tested two hypotheses: (a) that enduringly
healthy working women would perceive more valued occupational roles and higher
well-being than long-term sick-listed women; (b) that high levels of well-being
at baseline would predict enduring health and occupational role value at a
3-year follow-up. Middle-aged women (n = 208) answered a postal survey with the Role
checklist, a well-being scale and questions about work and sickness
situation. The results showed that there was a considerable variability in the
pattern of health/work and sickness absence. The variability was greatest among
the women who were long-term sick-listed at baseline, and the internal drop out
was great among them. The results showed that the enduringly healthy women
experienced a more valued worker role and higher well-being than the long-term
sick-listed women. Furthermore, high levels of well-being concerning health and
work predicted enduring health in the studied sample, and high well-being
concerning work was predictive of a valued worker role. Interventions that enable women to develop valuable worker and
leisure roles, as well as harmony between different roles, may be important
constituents of health promotion/rehabilitation programmes.
Keywords: long-term sick-listing, healthy, role value, role imbalance, work satisfaction
