4 - (OP9) Mental Health -related Work Disability Before, During and After a Short-term Psychological Intervention in a General Working Population: A Register-based Longitudinal Study

Evidence on the association between brief psychological support and mental health-related work disability (WD) is scarce. This register-based study examined the trajectories of depression or anxiety disorder-related WD preceding, during, and following brief psychological treatment and identified sociodemographic and work-related factors that indicate membership in different trajectory groups.
The data of national registers (Statistics Finland, Social Insurance Institution of Finland, Finnish Centre of Pensions) and the biggest occupational health service (OHS) provider in Finland (Terveystalo Plc) were combined to investigate depression or anxiety disorder-related WD trajectories among employees with and without a short-term psychological treatment in OHS. Treated participants (n= 25 290, 59 % women) were identified in the data from 2017 to 2022 and each was then matched with two control individuals (n=50 580) using propensity score matching. WD due to depression and anxiety across nine time periods (three-month intervals, follow-up 27 months in total) surrounding psychological treatment, based on sickness absence and disability pension days were assessed.
Those who visited a psychologist had more mental health-related WD, especially during the treatment (average WD days per three months among treated 10.7 vs. controls 0.1, p< 0.001). Trajectory analysis identified four distinct mental health -related WD trajectories associated with professional psychological support. Most treated employees (68%) had no mental health-related WD during follow-up. About one-third followed trajectories with elevated WD. Two trajectories showed temporary increases before and during treatment followed by rapid decline. In contrast, those in the most unfavorable trajectory group (approximately seven percent of the treated) had about 50 WD days during three months of treatment, with levels remaining high despite a notable post-treatment decline. Manual labor positions were more frequently represented in the least favorable WD trajectory, whereas other background characteristics were less influential.
Psychological support use often coincides with periods of elevated risk for temporary WD due to mental health conditions. Among employees who accessed psychological services, prolonged WD due to mental health problems is more frequently observed in manual labor positions.