Sick leave due to common mental disorders (CMDs) increase rapidly and present a major societal challenge. The overall effect of psychological interventions to reduce sick leave and symptoms has not been sufficiently investigated and there is a need for a systematic review and meta-analysis of the field. The aim of the present meta-analysis was to calculate the effect size of psychological interventions for CMDs on sick leave and psychiatric symptoms based on all published randomized controlled trials. Methodological quality, the risk of bias and publication bias were also assessed. The literature searches gave 2240 hits and 45 studies were included. The psychological interventions were more effective than care as usual on both reduced sick leave (g = 0.15) and symptoms (g = 0.21). There was no significant difference in effect between work focused interventions, problem-solving therapy, cognitive behavioural therapy or collaborative care. We conclude that psychological interventions are more effective than care as usual to reduce sick leave and symptoms but the effect sizes are small. More research is needed on psychological interventions that evaluate effects on sick leave. Consensual measures of sick leave should be established and quality of psychotherapy for patients on sick leave should be improved.

Work-based return-to-work (RTW) interventions can help to reduce the duration and cost of work disability, and in turn, prevent the negative effects of long-term sickness absence. However, there are a number of complex cognitive, affective and behavioural factors that can impact an individual's confidence, motivation and willingness to RTW that need to be addressed to facilitate effective outcomes. This literature review investigates evidence for the use of motivational interviewing (MI) for improving return-to-work (RTW) and employment outcomes. Whilst evidence for the efficacy of MI in clinical settings to motivate health behaviour change is strong, more research is needed to determine whether MI can be usefully applied to improve RTW and other work-related outcomes.

The Earning Capacity Assessment Form-2 assesses the factors that inhibit and facilitate an individual's return to work following an acquired disability (e.g., accident, misadventure). The purpose of this article is to provide the first item response analysis of the form. Data on Australian and US accident victims (N = 110) from two vocational assessment practices were used as a basis for evaluation. An item-response analysis was conducted using the Quest package for the 14 category responses. Results indicated that (a) the items function as inhibitors rather than drivers; and (b) they form a coherent underlying dimension of impairment. Problems in cognition and vocational adjustment issues were major markers for work incapacity.

A significant proportion of injured workers are not able to return to their original job. Employers have a responsibility as part of their disability management programs to assist this population to find a new vocation. The purpose of this qualitative study is to explore the résumé-development process in terms of its potential impact on job-search behaviour for injured workers who are unable to return to their previous job. Data were collected from 22 Australian rehabilitation counsellors via questionnaires, sample documents, and telephone interviews. Thematic analysis of the data reveals that the résumé-development process may be useful in promoting effective job-search behaviour in clients. However, for this to occur it is suggested that the résumé-development process must provide relevant knowledge and skills, overcome or reduce clients’ doubts, address disability but focus on ability, provide ongoing emotional and practical support, value individualisation, and increase clients’ motivation. It is speculated that the findings may be explained by the increased sense of self-efficacy that occurs through participation in the résumé-development process.

This study examined return-to-work in a sample of 468 compensatable injury cases. These included amputees, brain damage, hearing loss, mental disorders, musculoskeletal problems, nervous system, paraplegia, sight loss and miscellaneous conditions. Around 35% returned to work. It was substantially higher for work-related injuries compared to motor vehicle accidents or general insurance claims. Those who underwent surgery or were admitted to hospital had higher return-to-work rates than those never attending hospital. Psychiatric adjustment factors were a major influence on low rates of return-to-work. Other social and demographic factors were considered (gender, age, city vs. rural location, whether a spinal injury was involved, family status, years of schooling, qualifications, job status at time of accident, occupation). Eight out of 17 possible factors were more statistically significantly related than the remainder to whether someone was working but the substantive limitations of even relevant pre- or post-accident indicators are outlined.

Despite growing recognition of the importance of psychosocial factors in reducing ongoing work disability, research into the psychological consequences for injured workers who remain at, or return to work is limited. This study compares injured workers who have returned to, or remained at, work with noninjured workers on measures of personality, trauma symptoms, and symptoms of psychological distress. Data from structured clinical interviews, psychological and self-report questionnaires were gathered from 29 workers, 14 of whom were recovering from an injury at the time of participation. Injured workers demonstrated higher levels of Neuroticism and lower Extraversion, indicating greater emotional instability and lower capacity for adaptively coping with stress when compared to noninjured workers. They also reported subclinical elevations on scales of trauma symptoms, and greater levels of depressive symptoms, somatic complaints, anxiety and sleep disturbance in comparison with noninjured workers. These results suggest that the psychological consequences for workers who return to, or remain at, work following injury may reduce adaptation and increase vulnerability to secondary work disability.