Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40264057›Full record

Observational studyBMC public health2025

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on long-term sickness absences due to mental disorders in public servants: a retrospective observational study.

Shinichi Iwasaki, Yasuhiko Deguchi, Shohei Okura, Kunio Maekubo, Ayaka Matsunaga, Koki Inoue

Abstract readObservational Study
In one paragraph

Observational study in BMC public health, 2025. 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
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.

  1. Patients seeking occupational health advice before and after COVID-19.Occupational medicine (Oxford, England) · 2026
    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

6 authors.

Shinichi IwasakiDepartment of Neuropsychiatry, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka Metropolitan University, 1-4-3, Asahimachi, Abeno-ku, Osaka, 545-8585, Japan. siwasaki@omu.ac.jp.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1415-8701
Yasuhiko DeguchiDepartment of Neuropsychiatry, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka Metropolitan University, 1-4-3, Asahimachi, Abeno-ku, Osaka, 545-8585, Japan.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5320-6569
Shohei OkuraDepartment of Neuropsychiatry, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka Metropolitan University, 1-4-3, Asahimachi, Abeno-ku, Osaka, 545-8585, Japan.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0002-2686-3480
Kunio MaekuboDepartment of Neuropsychiatry, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka Metropolitan University, 1-4-3, Asahimachi, Abeno-ku, Osaka, 545-8585, Japan.
Ayaka MatsunagaDepartment of Neuropsychiatry, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka Metropolitan University, 1-4-3, Asahimachi, Abeno-ku, Osaka, 545-8585, Japan.
Koki InoueDepartment of Neuropsychiatry, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka Metropolitan University, 1-4-3, Asahimachi, Abeno-ku, Osaka, 545-8585, Japan.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3044-3921

Funding

Japan Society for the Promotion of Science JP20K10325
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has profoundly impacted lives worldwide, influencing the incidence and severity of health problems. This may have affected the occurrence of workers' sickness absences. This study aims to examine the incidence of long-term sickness absences due to mental disorders from 2009 to 2022 and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic from the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic (2020) to the end of the COVID-19 pandemic (2022).

methodsA retrospective observational design was employed. An anonymized record of public servants in City A with long-term sickness absences (≥ 90 days) from 2009 to 2022 was obtained. We defined 2009-2019 as the pre-COVID-19 pandemic period and 2020-2022 as the COVID-19 pandemic period. The influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on each disease category, classified using the ICD-10, was analyzed through interrupted time series analysis (ITSA) to evaluate changes in long-term sickness absences incidence before and during the COVID-19 pandemic period and the Cochran‒Armitage test to estimate trends in incidence rates over time.

resultsMental and behavioural disorders consistently demonstrated the highest incidence rates among all disease categories, with mood disorders being the most prevalent. Trends for all diseases analyzed did not change due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, both ITSA and the Cochran‒Armitage test revealed increasing trends for depressive states and adjustment disorders throughout the study period.

conclusionsThe COVID-19 pandemic did not influence the incidence of long-term sickness absences. However, depressive states and adjustment disorders exhibited an upward trend. This study underscores the need for tailored workplace mental health interventions to tackle the increasing stress-related illnesses, necessitating future research exploring the root causes.

Indexed as

COVID-19Mental DisordersPublic SectorSick LeaveAbsenteeismAdultFemaleHumansIncidenceMaleMiddle AgedPandemicsRetrospective StudiesAdjustment disordersCOVID-19 pandemicInterrupted time series analysisLong-term sickness absenceMental disordersPublic servants

Identifiers

PMID40264057
PMCPMC12013149

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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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.