Hostility and registered sickness absences: a prospective study of municipal employees.
BACKGROUND
Prior evidence on the relationship between hostility and minor health problems is limited to cross-sectional self-report studies. In the present study, this relationship was examined prospectively.


METHODS
Hostility of 1077 municipal employees was measured by a questionnaire survey and minor health problems by using 4-year register-based absence data including medically certificated diagnoses.


RESULTS
High hostility predicted a high total number of long-term sickness absence spells among men, but not among women. In separate diagnostic categories (musculo-skeletal, traumas and injuries, respiratory), hostility related positively and linearly to absences due to traumatic causes and curvilinearly (U-shape) to absences due to musculo-skeletal causes. Controlling the effects of health risk behaviour and demographic background did not significantly change these figures. However, health risk behaviour moderated the relations of hostility to overall long-term sickness absences, and to traumatic and musculo-skeletal absences, being significantly stronger in high-risk groups. No association was found between hostility and non-certificated short-term absence spells.


CONCLUSIONS
The results suggest that hostility plays a role in the aetiology of minor health problems.
Vahtera
J
J
Turku Regional Institute of Occupational Health, Finland.
Kivimäki
M
M
Koskenvuo
M
M
Pentti
J
J
D000041:Absenteeism; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland / Q000453:epidemiology; D015438:Health Behavior; D006791:Hostility; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D009111:Local Government; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009140:Musculoskeletal Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011602:Psychophysiologic Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012307:Risk Factors; D017678:Sex Distribution; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology