SynthesisJournal of occupational rehabilitation2024
The Effectiveness of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy in Helping People on Sick Leave to Return to Work: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.
Synthesis in Journal of occupational rehabilitation, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 17 papers, 3 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
17 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Interventions Based on Biofeedback Systems to Improve Workers' Psychological Well-Being, Mental Health, and Safety: Systematic Literature Review.Journal of medical Internet research · 2025Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Effect of cognitive-behavioral therapy on fatigue in cancer patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in psychology · 2024Pooled it
- Early interventions for primary care patients with stress-related mental ill health: a randomised controlled non-inferiority trial of a nurse-led collaborative care intervention versus cognitive behavioural therapy.BMJ mental health · 2026Trial
- Supporting Sustainable Return to Work in Large Organizations: A Cluster Randomised Feasibility Trial of a Multi-Level Intervention.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2026Trial
- Trial
- Effect of Cognitive Behavioural Stress Management on Return-to-Work Amongst Sick-Listed Employees.Journal of occupational rehabilitation · 2026Article
- Ready or Not? Applying the Transtheoretical Model of Change on Return-to-Work Following CBT for Chronic Low Back Pain.Journal of occupational rehabilitation · 2026Article
- The impact of anxiety/depression symptoms on return to work in patients with chronic neck or back pain: a longitudinal cohort study from the Norwegian neck and back registry.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2026Article
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Pain Chronification: Neuroimmune Rationale, Evidence Boundaries, and Trial Design Priorities: A Structured Narrative Review.Journal of pain research · 2026Review
- Article
- Expanding the Focus on Work Factors in an Outpatient Setting: Does a Nudge of Patients and Clinicians have an Effect on Return-to-Work and Benefits? Findings from the NSAC Nudge Multicentre Randomised Controlled Trial.Journal of occupational rehabilitation · 2025Article
- Work-focused therapy in an internet-based CBT format - A mixed methods feasibility study.Internet interventions · 2025Article
- Costs and Outcomes of a Therapist-Guided Internet-Delivered Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: Multicenter Observational Study.Journal of medical Internet research · 2025Observational
- Functional assertiveness with acceptance and commitment therapy for employees returning to work: a preliminary investigation.Frontiers in psychology · 2025Article
- Being Cynical Is Bad for Your Wellbeing: A Structural Equation Model of the Relationship Between Cynicism and Mental Health in First Responders in South Africa.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2024Article
- Impact of fatigue on work productivity and health-related job loss.Occupational medicine (Oxford, England) · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
purposePrevious research has systematically studied the effectiveness of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)-based interventions in managing both mental and physical symptoms of chronic disease including depression, stress-related mental disorders (SMD), and chronic pain that are common causes of sick leave. However, a systematic review focusing on the effectiveness of CBT in facilitating RTW is lacking. This study compiles research on utilizing CBT-based interventions for helping employees on sick leave return to work.
methodsRandomized controlled trials (RCT) published between 1 January 1990 and 27 June 2022 were searched in MEDLINE, EMBASE, The Cochrane Library, Scopus, PsycINFO, Web of Science, and PubMed. The primary outcome variables included a return to work (RTW) measure and sickness absences. The secondary outcomes include psychological conditions (mental illness, stress, anxiety, and depression) and physical condition (working ability, fatigue, and physical function).
resultsThirty-four RCTs were included in the analysis. Fifteen RCTs with 1727 participants reported on sick leave. Results showed that participants who completed CBT intervention had reduced sick leave in days (mean reduction - 3.654; 95%CI - 5.253, - 2.046; p < 0.001) compared to the control group. Sixteen papers with 2298 participants reported that the intervention group RTW 1.5 days earlier (95%CI 1.019, 1.722; p < 0.05). CBT-based interventions were effective in managing fatigue, mental illness, and depression, and improving physical function while it showed no effects in managing stress, anxiety and working ability.
conclusionsThe findings indicate that CBT-based interventions are effective in reducing the length of sick leave and facilitating the RTW of employees in the intervention group.
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.