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The role of familial factors and neuroticism in the association between exposure to offensive behaviors at work and long-term sickness absence due to common mental disorders: a prospective twin study
Stockholm University, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Psychology, Stress Research Institute. Stockholm University, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Psychology, Psychobiology and epidemiology.
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Number of Authors: 72024 (English)In: BMC Public Health, E-ISSN 1471-2458, Vol. 24, no 1, article id 1473Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate associations between exposure to work-related violence/threats and harassment, and future sickness absence (SA) due to common mental disorders (CMDs), taking familial factors (shared genetics and early-life environment) and neuroticism into account. Methods: The study sample included 8795 twin individuals from the Swedish Twin Project of Disability Pension and Sickness Absence (STODS), including survey data from the Study of Twin Adults: Genes and Environment (STAGE). Self-reported work-related violence and/or threats as well as work-related harassment (including bullying) and national register data on SA due to CMDs were analyzed using standard logistic regression, and conditional logistic regression among complete twin pairs discordant on exposures. Individuals were followed for a maximum of 13 years. Interactions between neuroticism and exposures were assessed using both multiplicative and additive interaction analyses. Results: Exposure to work-related violence/threats was associated with higher odds of SA due to CMDs when adjusting for age, sex, marital status, children, education, type of living area, work characteristics, and symptoms of depression and burnout (OR 2.11, 95% CI 1.52-2.95). Higher odds of SA due to CMDs were also found for exposure to harassment (OR 1.52, 95% CI 1.10-2.11) and a combined indicator of exposure to violence/threats and/or harassment (OR 1.98, 95% CI 1.52-2.59), compared with the unexposed. Analyses of twins discordant on exposure, using the unexposed co-twin as reference, showed reduced ORs. These ORs were still elevated but no longer statistically significant, potentially due to a lack of statistical power. No multiplicative interaction was found between neuroticism and exposure to work-related violence/threats, or harassment. However, a statistically significant additive interaction was found between neuroticism and exposure to violence/threats, indicating higher odds of SA due to CMDs in the group scoring lower on neuroticism. Conclusions: Exposure to work-related offensive behaviors was associated with SA due to CMDs. However, the results indicated that these associations may be partly confounded by familial factors. In addition, an interaction between exposure and neuroticism was suggested. Thus, when possible, future studies investigating associations and causality between offensive behaviors at work and mental health-related outcomes, should consider familial factors and neuroticism.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
2024. Vol. 24, no 1, article id 1473
Keywords [en]
mental disorders, neuroticism, personality, sickness absence, sick leave, twin study, work-related bullying, work-related harassment, work-related violence
National Category
Public Health, Global Health and Social Medicine
Research subject
Psychology
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:su:diva-231259DOI: 10.1186/s12889-024-19000-zISI: 001236834000004PubMedID: 38824499Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-85195000125OAI: oai:DiVA.org:su-231259DiVA, id: diva2:1874046
Note

This study was supported by the Swedish Research Council for Health, Working life and Welfare (FORTE) (#2019–01318). The study utilized data from the Swedish Twin project Of Disability pension and Sickness absence (STODS) from the REWHARD infrastructure supported by the Swedish Research Council (grant no 2017 − 00624 and 2021 − 00154). The Swedish Twin Registry is managed by Karolinska Institutet and receives funding through the Swedish Research Council under the grant no 2017 − 00641. The Study of Twin Adults: Genes and Environment (STAGE) was supported by the National Institute of Health, USA (Grants DK 066134 and CA 085739). Open access funding was provided by Stockholm University.

Available from: 2024-06-19 Created: 2024-06-19 Last updated: 2025-02-20Bibliographically approved

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Wijkander, MariaLindfors, PetraXu, TianweiMagnusson Hanson, Linda

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