Predictive factors of the duration of sick leave due to mental disorders

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to examine potential predictors of duration of sick leave due to mental disorders in Japan. METHODS: A total of 207 employees at a manufacturing company in Japan with a past history of sick leave due to mental disorders participated in this study. Mental disorders were defined as those listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV). All of the participants used the mental health program that the company provided. The predictive power of the variables was tested using a Cox proportional hazard analysis. The hazard ratios in the final model were used to identify the predictor variables of the duration of sick leave. We included socio-demographic (age, sex, tenure), clinical (diagnosis and number of previous sick leave), and work-related factors (employment rank) as possible predictors. Data on these variables were obtained through the psychiatrists and psychologists in the company’s mental health program. RESULTS: The results of the univariate analyses showed that the number of previous sick leave episodes, diagnosis and employee rank were significant predictors of the duration of sick leave due to mental disorders. A multivariate analysis indicated that age, number of previous sick leave and employee rank were statistically significant predictors of return to work. CONCLUSIONS: Diagnosis, number of previous sick leave episodes, and employee rank are predictors of the duration of sick leave due to mental disorders. This study’s findings have implications in the development of effective interventions to prevent protracted sick leave.