title: Using a psychosocial subgroup assignment to predict sickness absence in a working population with neck and back pain.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The overall objective was to evaluate the predictive validity of a subgroup classification based on the Swedish version of the MPI, the MPI-S, among gainfully employed workers with neck pain (NP) and/or low back pain (LBP) during a follow-up period of 18 and 36 months.
  
  
  METHODS
  This is a prospective cohort study that is part of a larger longitudinal multi-centre study entitled Work and Health in the Process and Engineering Industries (AHA). The attempt was to classify individuals at risk for developing chronic disabling NP and LBP. This is the first study using the MPI-questionnaire in a working population with NP and LBP.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Dysfunctional individuals (DYS) demonstrated more statistically significant sickness absence compared to adaptive copers (AC) after 36 months. DYS also had a threefold increase in the risk ratio of long-term sickness absence at 18 months. Interpersonally distressed (ID) subgroup showed overall more sickness absence compared to the AC subgroup at the 36-month follow-up and had a twofold increase in the risk ratio of long-term sickness absence at 18 months. There was a significant difference in bodily pain, mental and physical health for ID and DYS subgroups compared to the AC group at both follow-ups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The present study shows that this multidimensional approach to the classification of individuals based on psychological and psychosocial characteristics can distinguish different groups in gainfully employed working population with NP/LBP. The results in this study confirm the predictive validity of the MPI-S subgroup classification system.
authors.affiliation: Karolinska Institutet, Division of Intervention and Implementation Research, Department of Public Health, SE - 171 77 Stockholm, Sweden. cecilia.bergstrom@ki.se
authors.forename: Cecilia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bergström
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hagberg
authors.forename: Lennart
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bodin
authors.forename: Irene
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Jensen
authors.forename: Gunnar
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bergström
mesh_terms: D000041:Absenteeism; D000328:Adult; D001416:Back Pain / Q000145:classification / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019547:Neck Pain / Q000145:classification / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests / Q000592:standards; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011584:Psychology / Q000379:methods*; D018582:Sick Leave / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000639:trends*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires / Q000592:standards