ArticleJournal of occupational rehabilitation2010
The contribution of high levels of somatic symptom severity to sickness absence duration, disability and discharge.
Article in Journal of occupational rehabilitation, 2010. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 25 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
25 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 60 citations in OpenAlex.
- Behavioural modification interventions for medically unexplained symptoms in primary care: systematic reviews and economic evaluation.Health technology assessment (Winchester, England) · 2020Pooled it
- Phenomena associated with sick leave among primary care patients with Medically Unexplained Physical Symptoms: a systematic review.Scandinavian journal of primary health care · 2012Pooled it
- Sustainability of return to work in sick-listed employees with low-back pain. Two-year follow-up in a randomized clinical trial comparing multidisciplinary and brief intervention.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2012Trial
- Determinants of Sustainable Return to Work After Burnout or Depression: A Longitudinal Cohort Study.Journal of occupational rehabilitation · 2026Article
- Transdiagnostic Symptoms in Electronic Health Records of Sick-Listed Employees.Journal of occupational rehabilitation · 2026Article
- Long-term occupational outcomes in major depressive disorder: a 10-year follow-up study of symptom and comorbidity predictors.BMC psychiatry · 2025Article
- Somatic symptom and related disorders in the Arab world: a narrative review of clinical features and care implications.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2025Review
- Non-Cardiac Chest Pain as a Persistent Physical Symptom: Psychological Distress and Workability.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Article
- Days out of role and somatic, anxious-depressive, hypo-manic, and psychotic-like symptom dimensions in a community sample of young adults.Translational psychiatry · 2021Article
- Diagnostic and treatment barriers to persistent somatic symptoms in primary care - representative survey with physicians.BMC family practice · 2021Article
- Article
- Determinants of Sickness Absence and Return to Work Among Employees with Common Mental Disorders: A Scoping Review.Journal of occupational rehabilitation · 2018Article
- Physical Activity and Sleep in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia Syndrome: Associations with Symptom Severity in the General Population Cohort LifeLines.Pain research & management · 2018Article
- A European Research Agenda for Somatic Symptom Disorders, Bodily Distress Disorders, and Functional Disorders: Results of an Estimate-Talk-Estimate Delphi Expert Study.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2018Article
- Limitations to Work-Related Functioning of People with Persistent "Medically Unexplained" Physical Symptoms: A Modified Delphi Study Among Physicians.Journal of occupational rehabilitation · 2017Article
- Long-Term Outcome of Bodily Distress Syndrome in Primary Care: A Follow-Up Study on Health Care Costs, Work Disability, and Self-Rated Health.Psychosomatic medicine · 2017Article
- Medically unexplained physical symptoms and work functioning over 2 years: their association and the influence of depressive and anxiety disorders and job characteristics.BMC family practice · 2016Article
- Medically unexplained symptoms and the risk of loss of labor market participation--a prospective study in the Danish population.BMC public health · 2015Article
- Validation of the 4DSQ somatization subscale in the occupational health care setting as a screener.Journal of occupational rehabilitation · 2015Article
- Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionThe primary objectives were to compare the duration of sickness absence in employees with high levels of somatic symptom severity (HLSSS) with employees with lower levels of somatic symptom severity, and to establish the long-term outcomes concerning return to work (RTW), disability and discharge. Secondary objective was to evaluate determinants of the duration of sickness absence in employees with HLSSS.
methods489 sick-listed employees registered with five Occupational Health Physician (OHP) group practices were included in this study. We measured their baseline scores for somatic symptoms severity, depressive disorders, anxiety disorders, health anxiety, distress and functional impairment. The OHPs filled in a questionnaire on their diagnosis. A prospective 2-year follow-up was carried out to assess the long-term outcomes concerning sickness absence, and retrospective information was gathered with regard to sickness absence during the 12 months before the employees were sick-listed.
resultsThe median duration of sickness absence was 78 days longer for employees with HLSSS. They more often remained disabled and were discharged more often, especially due to problems in the relationship between the employer and the employee. HLSSS, health anxiety and older age contributed to a longer duration of sickness absence of employees.
conclusionHigh levels of somatic symptom severity are a determinant of prolonged sickness absence, enduring disabilities and health-related job loss. Occupational health physicians should identify employees who are at risk and adhere to guidelines for medically unexplained somatic symptoms.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.