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Abstract
Background This study aims to examine whether the presence of chronic diseases or multimorbidity moderates the associations between psychosocial working conditions and work exit through unemployment, work disability or early retirement.
Methods Data from Lifelines (n=55 950), a prospective population-based cohort study, were enriched with monthly information on employment status from Statistics Netherlands. Working conditions were measured with the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire. Work exit was defined as unemployment, work disability and early retirement. Participants were classified as having no chronic disease, one chronic disease or multimorbidity. Cause-specific Cox proportional hazard regression models, adjusted for age, gender, education and partnership status, were used to analyse associations between working conditions and work exit. Interaction terms were used to examine moderation by chronic disease status.
Results Higher social support decreased the risk for unemployment, work disability and early retirement. Higher meaning of work decreased the risk of unemployment, and more possibilities for development decreased the risk for work disability. Chronic disease status did generally not moderate associations between working conditions and work exit. Only among workers without a chronic disease, more possibilities for development was associated with a lower risk for unemployment (HR: 0.89; 95% CI: 0.85 to 0.94).
Conclusion While efforts to retain workers with chronic diseases in the labour market should continue, favourable psychosocial working conditions are important for all workers.
- employment
- epidemiology
- morbidity
- public health
- workplace
Data availability statement
Data are available upon reasonable request. Data may be obtained from a third party and are not publicly available. Lifelines is a facility that is open for all researchers. Information on application and data access procedure is summarised on www.lifelines.nl.
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Data availability statement
Data are available upon reasonable request. Data may be obtained from a third party and are not publicly available. Lifelines is a facility that is open for all researchers. Information on application and data access procedure is summarised on www.lifelines.nl.
Footnotes
Contributors SKRvZ, PO, and SB conceived and designed the study. PO analysed the data. SKRvZ, PO, SJWR, AB, KOH and SB were involved in interpreting the data. SKRvZ has written the first version of the manuscript. PO, SJWR, AB, KOH and SB critically revised, read and approved the final manuscript. SB is the guarantor for the study.
Funding The Lifelines initiative has been made possible by subsidy from the Dutch Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport, the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs, the University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG), Groningen University and the Provinces in the North of the Netherlands (Drenthe, Friesland, Groningen).
Competing interests None declared.
Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.
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