Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40375537›Full record

ArticleJournal of rehabilitation medicine2025

Self-perceived barriers to returning to work among employees with a low educational level on long-term sick leave: the "NOW WHAT" large-scale interview study.

Linn V Lervik, Elisabeth Frostestad, Kine Strømstad, Ida G Gulliksen, Monica Lillefjell, Jens C Skogen, Elin Ekbladh, Randi W Aas

Abstract read
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Article in Journal of rehabilitation medicine, 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. 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.

Linn V LervikDepartment of Rehabilitation Science and Health Technology, Faculty of Health Sciences, OsloMet-Oslo Metropolitan University, Oslo, Norway. linnvath@oslomet.no.
Elisabeth FrostestadDepartment of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Stavanger, Stavanger, Norway.
Kine StrømstadDepartment of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Stavanger, Stavanger, Norway; Institute for Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, VID Specialized University, Stavanger, Norway.
Ida G GulliksenDepartment of Rehabilitation Science and Health Technology, Faculty of Health Sciences, OsloMet-Oslo Metropolitan University, Oslo, Norway.
Monica LillefjellDepartment of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Stavanger, Stavanger, Norway; Department of Neuromedicine and Movement Science, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway.
Jens C SkogenDepartment of Health Promotion, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Bergen, Norway; Centre for Evaluation of Public Health Measures, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway; Alcohol and Drug Research Western Norway, Stavanger University Hospital, Stavanger, Norway.
Elin EkbladhDepartment of Health, Medicine and Caring Sciences, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden.
Randi W AasDepartment of Rehabilitation Science and Health Technology, Faculty of Health Sciences, OsloMet-Oslo Metropolitan University, Oslo, Norway; Department of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Stavanger, Stavanger, Norway. ranwaag@oslomet.no.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveBecause employees with low educational levels have the highest rates of sick leave, this study aimed to identify the self-perceived return-to-work barriers of employees with low educational levels on long-term sick leave.

methodsEmployees on long-term sick leave with primary/secondary educational attainment were included from the NOW WHAT large-scale interview study (n = 122). The World Health Organization's system of classifying functioning, disability, and health guided the deductive content analysis.

results1,942 meaning units describing return-to-work barriers across all classifications were identified. The most frequent components were body functions (n = 552, 28%, mean = 4.5), with mental functions (e.g., sleep, tiredness, emotional and cognitive functioning) the most frequent barriers; environmental factors (n = 414, 21%, mean = 3.4), with services, systems ,and policies (e.g., social security, healthcare system) the most prevalent barriers; activity limitations (n = 352, 18%, mean = 2.9); and personal factors (n = 323, 17%, mean = 2.6).

conclusionEmployees with low educational levels on long-term sick leave described a wide range of return-to-work barriers and combinations thereof. In addition to health-related functional barriers, identifying environmental, activity-limitation, and personal barriers is important to enhance understanding of this group's potential determinants of absence from work.

Indexed as

Educational StatusReturn to WorkSelf ConceptSick LeaveAdultFemaleHumansInterviews as TopicMaleMiddle Aged

Identifiers

PMID40375537
PMCPMC12105544

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.