Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34113733›Full record

ArticleHeliyon2021

Associations between antidepressant therapy, work ability, and sick leave for patients with common mental disorders within a two-year perspective - A longitudinal observational cohort study in Swedish primary care.

Dominique Hange, Nashmil Ariai, Cecilia Björkelund, Irene Svenningsson, Shabnam Nejati, Eva-Lisa Petersson, Pia Augustsson, Ingmarie Skoglund

Open access · goldAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Heliyon, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact, top 86% of its field
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed, 0 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Socioeconomic status, antidepressant use, and return to work after disability due to common mental disorders.European psychiatry : the journal of the Association of European Psychiatrists · 2025
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Dominique HangePrimary Health Care/School of Public Health and Community Medicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Sweden.
Nashmil AriaiPrimary Health Care/School of Public Health and Community Medicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Sweden.
Cecilia BjörkelundPrimary Health Care/School of Public Health and Community Medicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Sweden.
Irene SvenningssonPrimary Health Care/School of Public Health and Community Medicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Sweden.
Shabnam NejatiPrimary Health Care/School of Public Health and Community Medicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Sweden.
Eva-Lisa PeterssonPrimary Health Care/School of Public Health and Community Medicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Sweden.
Pia AugustssonPrimary Health Care/School of Public Health and Community Medicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Sweden.
Ingmarie SkoglundPrimary Health Care/School of Public Health and Community Medicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Sweden.
Region Västra Götaland · SEUniversity of Gothenburg · SE

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundAn increasing number of patients are on sick leave because of common mental disorders (CMD), with or without antidepressant therapy. There is a lack of long-term follow-up studies in the primary care context, where most of the patients are treated. The importance of identifying potential factors associated with work ability for CMD patients is increasingly in focus.

objectiveTo investigate the associations between using antidepressants, sick leave duration, reported work ability and psychological symptoms among patients with CMD during a two-year observation period in the primary care context.

methodsLongitudinal observational cohort study at 28 Primary Care Centers in Region Västra Götaland, Sweden, including 182 patients with an employment and on sick leave for CMD. The following outcomes were assessed: work ability measured with WAI, depressive symptoms with MADRS-S, anxiety symptoms with BAI, fatigue symptoms with KEDS, quality of life with EQ-5D, and days of sick leave. The data were compared between the groups that used and did not use antidepressants, during the 24-months observation period.

resultsWork ability and health-related quality of life increased over time in both groups. A steeper decrease of depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms as well as an increased health-related quality of life at 3, 6 and 12 months was found in the group without antidepressants, although both groups levelled off at 24 months. In both groups, a higher work ability at baseline was associated with less two-year sick leave.

conclusionOur study indicates that a high work ability at baseline has a strong association with a lower total net and gross sick leave duration during the entire two-year follow-up period for patients with CMD in primary health care, irrespective of use of antidepressants. Using WAI in primary health care could therefore be helpful in predicting return to work. Use of antidepressants during the CMD episode could indicate initially a more pronounced overall symptom pattern, motivating introduction of antidepressants, rather than prolonging the sick leave period.

Indexed as

AntidepressantDepressionEQ-5DPrimary careSick leaveWAI

Identifiers

PMID34113733
PMCPMC8170496
OpenAlexW3170937004

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.