Abstract

FALAVIGNA, Adriana  and  CARLOTTO, Mary Sandra. Time trends of sick leave at work by mental and behavioral disorders of nurses (1998-2008). Rev. Psicol., Organ. Trab. [online]. 2013, vol.13, n.3, pp. 363-371. ISSN 1984-6657.

The absenteeism resulting from work-related illnesses has been considered a public health problem due to social, organizational, and individual impacts. This study aimed to identify the trends over time of the prevalence of sick leave for work-related mental and behavioral disorders in nurses at a general hospital. This is an exploratory time-series study using secondary data. The record of 375 sick leave requests from nurses at a hospital, in the period from 1998 to 2008, were analyzed. The trend was analyzed using the Prais-Winsten procedure. The sick leave trend shows an increase of 1% per year on average. The highest levels were from mood disorders (F30-39), 46.7%; and neurotic, stress-related, and somatoform (F40-48) disorders, 31.5%. The trending increase reflects changes in the morbidity profile of the nurses. This study indicates the need to monitor the absenteeism trend caused by work-related mental and behavioral disorders, and suggests fuller investigation of the factors associated with this problem in order to support interventions for promotion, rehabilitation, and work reintegration.

Keywords : Time Series Study; Mental Disorders; Nurses.

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