Sickness absence and prevalence of effort-reward imbalance at work

Introduction
Psychosocial stressors at work are related to short and long term sickness absenteeism. Among those, adequate work climate, job demands and work control, as well as effort-reward imbalance (ERI) play significant roles to maintain a healthy work environment. Particularly the effort-reward ratio associated to worker´s overcommitment can worsen ERI imbalance, and workers may develop a negative response to stress. A number of physical and mental illnesses may be triggered, such as cardiovascular diseases, musculoskeletal disturbances, psychiatric disorders. This study aims to describe the frequency of a psychosocial stressor at work- the effort-reward imbalance and overcommitment among workers with long-term sickness absence.

Methods
A cross-sectional study took place in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Participation was voluntary. A random sample investigated 328 workers who seek medical leave at a Regional Center of the Brazilian Social Security Institute. Eligible workers were those off -work for 15 days or longer. Participants were interviewed by an occupational medicine specialist and answered a comprehensive questionnaire including psychosocial factors at work. Data collection is still being taking place. Preliminary results are here presented.

Results
Females were 58.8% of the participants. Mean age was 34 years; median time on the job was 2 years. An important number of participants (42.3%) worked in administrative job titles. Imbalance at work due to the effort-reward ratio (ERI) was observed in 40.5% of the sample, and all cases also reported overcommitment at work.

Discussion
In spite of the study limitations, a significant prevalence of the effort-reward imbalance at work (ERI) associated with overcommitment was observed in this particular sample of young workers with a short time on the job. As this is an on-going study, work factors associated with health outcomes will be further explored when data collection will be accomplished.