Sick-leave due to minor psychiatric morbidity: role of sex integration.
During the years 1985-1987 all sick-leave spells exceeding 7 days, together with a number of demographic variables, were registered in a Swedish county. Using this register, the 3,100 employed persons with at least one sick-leave per year due to minor psychiatric morbidity were analysed with regard to age, occupation and sex. The annual cumulative incidence was 1.7% of the employed population. In 1985 the female incidence was 2.1% and the male incidence was 1.3%. Incidence was highest in the middle-aged. The mean number of absence days per sick-listed person was 73 in 1985. For women, the corresponding figure was 63 and for men, 82. Industrial occupations had the highest incidence and with few exceptions, women had a higher incidence than men in each occupation. Occupations were categorized into five groups according to the number of women and men employed. Women in extremely male-dominated occupations had the highest incidence of all groups, 4.6%. Men in extremely female-dominated occupations had the highest incidence of all men, 2.9%. Occupations with an equal sex distribution had the lowest sick-leave incidence, 1.2%. Further studies on the influence of sex integration on sickness absence need to be done.
Hensing
G
G
Department of Community Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Linköping, Sweden.
Alexanderson
K
K
Akerlind
I
I
Bjurulf
P
P
D000275:Adjustment Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005783:Gender Identity; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009497:Neurotic Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D018582:Sick Leave / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013001:Somatoform Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D013548:Sweden / Q000453:epidemiology