OBJECTIVE: To explore absenteeism among racially and ethnically minoritized transgender youth (trans REMY) compared to their White transgender (trans WY) and racially and ethnically minoritized cisgender (cis REMY) peers and identify associated psychosocial factors.
METHODS: Biennial California Healthy Kids Survey 2017-2019 data was analyzed with a weighted sample of California\'s secondary school population. Students reported past 30-day absences due to mental health and harassment, depressive symptoms, suicidal ideation, cyberbullying, victimization, and school connectedness. Poisson and linear regression compared absenteeism and psychosocial factors among peer groups. For trans REMY, Poisson regression assessed associations between absenteeism and psychosocial factors. Analyses were adjusted for grade, sex, and socioeconomic status.
RESULTS: The analytical sample (n = 25,085) included 206 trans REMY, 64 trans WY, and 24,815 cis REMY. Trans REMY had higher relative risk of absenteeism due to mental health concerns and harassment compared to cis REMY (adjusted relative risk 2.9, 95% confidence interval 2.1-4.0 and adjusted relative risk 8.1, 95% confidence interval 4.0-16.6, respectively) but similar risk when compared to trans WY. For trans REMY, depressive symptoms, suicidal ideation, and victimization were associated with higher relative risk of absenteeism due to mental health concerns. Cyberbullying was associated with a higher risk of absenteeism due to harassment. Higher school connectedness was associated with lower risk of absenteeism due to mental health concerns.
CONCLUSIONS: Trans REMY reported higher rates of school absenteeism due to mental health concerns and harassment compared to some of their peers. Mental health symptoms, victimization, cyberbullying, and school connectedness were associated with absenteeism among trans REMY.

BACKGROUND: Returning to work after long-term sick leave can be challenging, particularly in small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) where support may be limited. Recognizing the responsibilities and challenges of SME employers, a web-based intervention (hereafter the SME tool) has been developed. The SME tool aims to enhance the employer\'s intention and ability to support the sick-listed employee. Based on the Self-Determination Theory, it is hypothesized that this intention is enhanced by intervening in the employer\'s autonomy, competences, and relatedness targeted at, e.g., communication with sick-listed employee, involvement of other stakeholders, and practical support. This is achieved by means of providing templates, communication videos, and information on legislation. This article describes the design of an effect and process evaluation of the SME tool.
METHODS: A randomized controlled trial (RCT) with a 6-month follow-up will be conducted with a parallel-group design with two arms: an intervention group and a control group. Sick-listed employees (≤ 8 weeks) of SMEs (≤ 250 employees) at risk of long-term sick leave and their employers will be recruited and randomly allocated as a dyad (1:1). Employers randomized to the intervention group receive unlimited access to the SME tool, while those in the control group will receive care as usual. The primary outcome is the satisfaction of the employee with the return to work (RTW) support provided by their employer. Secondary outcomes include social support, work performance, and quality of work life at the employee level and self-efficacy in providing RTW support at the employer level. Outcomes will be assessed using questionnaires at baseline and 1, 3, and 6 months of follow-up. Process evaluation measures include, e.g., recruitment and use of and perceived usefulness of the SME tool. Additionally, semi-structured interviews with employers, employees, and occupational physicians will explore the interpretation of the RCT results and strategies for the national implementation of the SME tool.
CONCLUSIONS: The SME tool is hypothesized to be valuable in addition to usual care helping employers to effectively support the RTW of their long-term sick-listed employees, by improving the employers\' intention and ability to support.
BACKGROUND: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT06330415. Registered on February 14, 2024.

This study employed a longitudinal model to investigate the reciprocal relationships between interpersonal citizenship behavior (OCB-I) and absenteeism at the team level. The research utilized four waves of data from a sample comprising over 5,000 employees in 168 teams within a large Canadian public organization. Drawing upon the focus theory of normative conduct and the collective identity perspective, our findings indicated that a positive change in OCB-I, which encompasses helping behaviors, led to a subsequent decrease in team absenteeism. In addition, emphasizing the identity perspective and allocation of time perspective, our study demonstrated that increased absenteeism within a given period was associated with a subsequent reduction in team OCB-I.

BACKGROUND: High rates of sickness absence is a challenge within the healthcare sector, highlighting the need for effective interventions. Despite this, limited research has been conducted on the impact of such interventions within the healthcare context. This study evaluates an intervention aimed at improving the work environment influences sickness absence rates in Norwegian hospital units. The intervention is a comprehensive framework for discovering and tailoring solutions to each units\' specific needs, with a focus on employee involvement and collaboration between leader, union representatives and safety delegates.
METHODS: We employed two methodological approaches. Method 1 involved using HR-registered sickness absence data to track changes in sickness absence across all intervention units and matched control groups over a three-year period. In Method 2, we used a pre- and post-survey design in 14 intervention units, focusing on employees\' job satisfaction and self-reported health.
RESULTS: The results of the intervention were mixed. There was a significant decrease in total sickness absence in the intervention units the first year after the intervention, and a significant decrease in long-term sickness absence both in the first and second year after the intervention, measured with HR registries. However, we did not see a significant larger decrease in total sickness absence in the intervention units compared to the control units and only partial support for a larger decrease in long-term absence in the intervention units. In the subsample of units that also participated in the survey, we observed significant improvements in employee job satisfaction post intervention.
CONCLUSIONS: There is a need for research on effective interventions to reduce sickness absence in the healthcare sector. \"Where the shoe pinches\" provides a potential methodological framework for reducing sickness absence by addressing challenges in the work environment, however with uncertain results. Further exploration is warranted to refine strategies for effectively managing sickness absence within healthcare organizations.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to 1) examine how psychopharmacotherapy and mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) influence absenteeism and job performance among individuals with anxiety disorders and 2) compare the effectiveness of these treatments in improving work performance.
METHODS: Adults (N = 67) with a primary anxiety disorder were recruited to participate in the study. Participants were randomized to escitalopram, a common treatment for anxiety disorders, or MBSR. Absenteeism and job performance were measured with the Health and Work Performance (HPQ) questionnaire prior to treatment and at the week 24 follow up.
RESULTS: At week 24, individuals in the escitalopram arm and the MBSR arm showed significant improvements in partial days of missed work due to mental/physical health problems from baseline (1.00 [0.00-2.50] to 0.00 [0.00 = 1.00], p = .034 and 0.00 [0.00-2.00] to 0.00 [0.00 = 1.00], p = .001, respectively). In the MBSR arm only, job performance increased from baseline to week 24 (65.00 [50.00-80.00] to 75.00 [67.50-82.50], p = .017). None of the outcome variables significantly varied by group at baseline or week 24.
CONCLUSIONS: Our study finds evidence that MBSR improves work performance equivalently to SSRI medication among individuals with anxiety disorders. Given the limitations of SSRIs, MBSR should be considered as an alternative to individuals who desire improved anxiety symptoms and work outcomes.
BACKGROUND: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03522844.

Prior research has identified that school absences harm children\'s academic achievement. However, this literature is focused on brief periods or single school years and does not consistently account for the dynamic nature of absences across multiple school years. This study examined dynamic trajectories of children\'s authorised and unauthorised absences throughout their compulsory school career in England. It investigated the consequences of these absence trajectories for children\'s achievement at the end of compulsory schooling. We analyse linked administrative data on children\'s absences and achievement from the National Pupil Database and survey data from the Millennium Cohort Study for a representative sample of children born in 2000/2001 in England (N = 7218). We used k-means clustering for longitudinal data to identify joint authorised-unauthorised absence trajectories throughout compulsory schooling and a regression-with-residuals approach to examine the link between absence trajectories and achievement. We identified five distinct absence trajectories: (1) \'Consistently Low Absences\', (2) \'Consistently Moderate Authorised Absences\', (3) \'Moderately Increasing Unauthorised Absences\', (4) \'Strongly Increasing Unauthorised Absences\', and (5) \'Strongly Increasing Authorised Absences\'. We found substantial differences between trajectory groups in GCSE achievement, even when accounting for significant risk factors of school absences. Compared to \'Consistently Low Absences\', \'Strongly Increasing Unauthorised Absences\' reduced achievement by -1.23 to -1.48 standard deviations, while \'Strongly Increasing Authorised Absences\' reduced achievement by -0.72 to -1.00 SD for our continuous outcomes. \'Moderately Increasing Unauthorised Absences\' (-0.61 to -0.70 SD) and \'Consistently Moderate Authorised Absences\' (-0.13 to -0.21 SD) also negatively affected achievement compared to \'Consistently Low Absences\'. Our research underscores the critical importance of examining entire trajectories of absenteeism and differentiating between types of absences to fully grasp their associations with academic outcomes and design targeted interventions accordingly.

BACKGROUND: Cost of illness studies are important tools to summarise the burden of disease for individuals, the healthcare system and society. The lack of standardised methods for reporting costs for cystic fibrosis (CF) makes it difficult to quantify the total socioeconomic burden. In this study, we aimed to comprehensively report the socioeconomic burden of CF in Canada.
METHODS: The total cost of CF in Canada was calculated by triangulating information from three sources (Canadian CF Registry, customised Burden of Disease survey and publicly available information). A prevalence-based, bottom-up, human capital approach was applied, and costs were categorised into four perspectives (ie, healthcare system, individual/caregiver, variable (ie, medicines) and society) and three domains (ie, direct, indirect and intangible). All costs were converted into 2021 Canadian dollars (CAD) and adjusted for inflation. The cost of cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) modulator therapies was excluded.
RESULTS: The total socioeconomic burden of CF in Canada in 2021 across the four perspectives was $C414 million. Direct costs accounted for two-thirds of the total costs, with medications comprising half of all direct costs. Out-of-pocket costs to individuals and caregivers represented 18.7% of all direct costs. Indirect costs representing absenteeism accounted for one-third of the total cost.
CONCLUSIONS: This comprehensive cost of illness study for CF represents a community-oriented approach describing the socioeconomic burden of living with CF and serves as a benchmark for future studies.

Objectives. Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) are recurrent in the footwear industry, resulting in absenteeism. This study aimed to quantitatively analyze the influence of overtime work and physical recovery time on the occurrence of WMSD-related absenteeism using a system dynamics model. As ergonomic methods have limitations in quantitatively simulating the behavior of these relationships, the integration of computational modeling techniques has emerged as a methodological alternative to bridge this gap. Methods. An ergonomic work analysis (EWA) was developed in a production cell of a large company. A model of causal relationships (causal loop diagram) and a simulation model (flow and stock diagram) were then developed, where three scenarios for overtime and physical recovery time were analyzed. Results. Working an additional hour resulted in a 42% increase in physical overload, leading to 7.62 leave requests per year and 78.7 days of employee absenteeism. Increasing the physical recovery time by 15 min reduced the overload to 36.5%, resulting in 6.8 leave requests per year and 71.1 days of employee absenteeism. Conclusions. Properly managing excess workload and providing adequate physical recovery for professionals is necessary to mitigate the productivity impacts of absenteeism in the footwear industry.

Patients with ureteral stones are often managed with a spontaneous trial of passage. While cost effective, the current literature has not examined the effects of a trial of passage on patients\' work productivity. In this study, we aim to characterize work absence and productivity losses in a cohort of patients undergoing a trial of passage for ureteral stones. Actively employed patients aged 18 to 64 and discharged from Duke emergency departments without surgical intervention for ureteral stones ≤ 10 mm were contacted by phone four weeks after their presentation. Participants completed the Institute for Medical Technology Assessment Productivity Cost Questionnaire which assesses three domains: absenteeism - missed work; presenteeism -productivity when returning to work; and unpaid work - assistance with household work. Linear regression associated demographic and stone factors with productivity losses.109 patients completed the survey. In total, 67% of patients missed work, 46% had decreased productivity when returning to work, and 55% required assistance with unpaid work. 59% of patients with stones ≤ 5 mm missed work versus 84% with stones > 5 mm (p = 0.009). African American race (coefficient 23.68, 95% confidence interval 2.24-45.11, p = 0.031), first-time stone formers (coefficient 20.28, 95% confidence interval 2.50-38.07, p = 0.026), and patients with stones > 5 mm (coefficient 25.34, 95% CI 5.25-45.44, p = 0.014) were associated with increased productivity losses. The majority of patients miss work while undergoing a trial of passage and many have decreased productivity when returning to work. This information may help counsel patients in emergency departments, especially first-time stone formers, and prevent return visits.

Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) have been shown to effectively reduce absenteeism, workplace injury rates, and health-related productivity impairments. However, established measures for determining its impact on employee-level productivity have rarely been used, nor have studies employed biological measures of well-being. Drawing on the allostatic load theory, we examine the effects of an EAP on biological measures (heart rate, heart rate variability), established measures of health-related productivity (Workability Index, Health and Work Performance Questionnaire, Workplace Limitations Questionnaire), and absenteeism 4 weeks and 6 months after clients started to receive counseling. We conducted a quasi-experimental study comparing an EAP (n = 73) with a matched control group (n = 134) using propensity score matching. We found that an EAP improves health-related productivity 4 weeks and 6 months after enrolling in counseling, above and beyond changes in the control group. Biological measures changed in the hypothesized directions, but differences between the groups did not reach significance. Absenteeism did not change in the EAP group 6 months after enrolling in counseling. In an exploratory analysis, we found that individuals requiring many sessions in the first 4 weeks showed worse productivity outcomes, demonstrating a negative dose-response relationship. Our study provides an example of how to include biological measures in EAP research. It adds to the scientific evidence of the usefulness of EAP services in restoring employee-level productivity. We calculate that the marginal productivity improvements per employee using the EAP are as much as $15,600 per annum. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).