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Table 2 Baseline characteristics of the total study population and stratified by psychiatric and rehabilitation group

From: Returning to work after sickness absence due to common mental disorders: study design and baseline findings from an 18 months mixed methods follow-up study in Germany

Variables

Total sample (n = 286)

Psychiatric group (n = 169)

Rehabilitation group (n = 117)

Statisticsa

Sociodemographic

 Sex, % (n)

  Female

46.5 (133)

45.6 (77)

47.9 (56)

n. s.

  Male

53.5 (153)

54.4 (92)

52.1 (61)

 Ageb (years), mean ± SD (n)

47.7 ± 8.6 (286)

46.4 ± 8.7 (169)

49.7 ± 8.2 (117)

t (284) = −3.25, p < .01

  ≤ 39 years, % (n)

18.5 (53)

22.5 (38)

12.8 (15)

Χ2 (2, n = 286) = 14.95, p < .01, V = .229

  40–49 years, % (n)

29.4 (84)

34.9 (59)

21.4 (25)

  ≥ 50 years, % (n)

52.1 (149)

42.6 (72)

65.8 (77)

 Highest educational/ vocational qualificationb, % (n)

  Qualification from a company/ school-based vocational training

48.3 (138)

45.0 (76)

53.0 (62)

n. s.

  Qualification from a technical college/ vocational academy

18.5 (53)

16.6 (28)

21.4 (25)

  (Applied) University degree

30.1 (86)

34.9 (59)

23.1 (27)

  Other/ no vocational qualification

3.1 (9)

3.6 (6)

2.6 (3)

 Partnership, % (n)

  No

29.5 (84)

30.2 (51)

28.4 (33)

n. s.

  Yes

70.5 (201)

69.8 (118)

71.6 (83)

  └ Living Together, % (n)

89.6 (180)

91.5 (108)

86.7 (72)

Work-related

 Weekly working time, % (n)

  Full-time (≥ 35 h)

79.4 (227)

82.2 (139)

75.2 (88)

n. s.

  Part-time (15–34 h)

20.6 (59)

17.8 (30)

24.8 (29)

 Working time modelb, % (n)

  Fixed working hours

25.5 (73)

21.3 (36)

31.6 (37)

Χ2 (2, n = 286) = 22.56, p < .001, V = .281

  Flexible working hours

50.7 (145)

62.1 (105)

34.2 (40)

  Shift work

23.8 (68)

16.6 (28)

34.2 (40)

 Mainly sedentary work, % (n)

  No

34.3 (98)

29.6 (50)

41.0 (48)

Χ2 (1, n = 277) = 4.07, p < .05, phi = .129

  Yes

62.6 (179)

68.0 (115)

54.7 (64)

  No answer

3.1 (9)

2.4 (4)

4.3 (5)

 Managerial function, % (n)

  No

80.1 (229)

79.3 (134)

81.2 (95)

n. s.

  Yes

19.9 (57)

20.7 (35)

18.8 (22)

 Enterprise sector, % (n)

  Private

69.6 (199)

72.8 (123)

65.0 (76)

n. s.

  Public

30.4 (87)

27.2 (46)

35.0 (41)

 Company size, % (n)

  1–50 employees

13.6 (39)

10.7 (18)

17.9 (21)

n. s.

  51–250 employees

16.8 (48)

14.8 (25)

19.7 (23)

  > 250 employees

69.6 (199)

74.6 (126)

62.4 (73)

RTW-related

 RTW expectationsb, % (n)

  ≤ 3 months

83.9 (240)

78.1 (132)

92.3 (108)

Χ2 (2, n = 286) = 10.33, p < .01, V = .190

  > 3 months

9.1 (26)

12.4 (21)

4.3 (5)

  No return to former workplace

7.0 (20)

9.5 (16)

3.4 (4)

 RTW-SE (1–6), mean ± SD (n)

4.23 ± 1.08 (280)

3.99 ± 1.08 (165)

4.59 ± .99 (115)

t (278) = −4.81, p < .001

 Work ability (0–10), mean ± SD (n)

5.27 ± 2.16 (286)

4.70 ± 2.08 (169)

6.10 ± 2.01 (117)

t (284) = −5.69, p < .001

Health-related

 First diagnosisb, % (n)

  Depression or anxiety disorder

85.3 (244)

100 (169)

64.1 (75)

Χ2 (1, n = 286) = 68.27, p < .001, phi = −.499

  Adjustment disorder

14.7 (42)

0

35.9 (42)

 Recurrence of disorder, % (n)

  No

64.0 (183)

72.2 (122)

52.1 (61)

Χ2 (1, n = 286) = 11.21, p < .01, phi = .205

  Yes

36.0 (103)

27.8 (47)

47.9 (56)

 Work-relatedness of disorderb, % (n)

  Not at all – moderately

33.2 (95)

29.6 (50)

38.5 (45)

n. s.

  Very – extremely

66.4 (190)

70.4 (119)

60.7 (71)

  No answer

0.3 (1)

0

0.9 (1)

 SA last 12 monthsb (weeks), mean ± SD (n)

9.96 ± 7.94 (286)

10.86 ± 7.87 (169)

8.65 ± 7.89 (117)

t (284) = 2.33, p < .05

  ≤ 6 weeks/12 months, % (n)

44.8 (128)

37.3 (63)

55.6 (65)

Χ2 (1, n = 286) = 8.62, p < .01, phi = −.181

  > 6 weeks/12 months, % (n)

55.2 (158)

62.7 (106)

44.4 (52)

 Self-rated healthb, % (n)

  Good

75.9 (217)

71.6 (121)

82.1 (96)

Χ2 (1, n = 286) = 3.58, p < .05, phi = .120

  Poor

24.1 (69)

28.4 (48)

17.9 (21)

 Functional ability (1–5), mean ± SD (n)

  Managing

2.31 ± .79 (249)

2.45 ± .78 (154)

2.08 ± .77 (95)

t (247) = 3.66, p < .001

  Cooperation/Communication

1.89 ± .75 (281)

2.04 ± .79 (166)

1.69 ± .64 (115)

t (273) = 4.13, p < .001

 Depressive symptoms (0–24), mean ± SD (n)

7.79 ± 4.58 (282)

8.31 ± 4.54 (167)

7.03 ± 4.56 (115)

t (280) = 2.33, p < .05

 Regular physical activity, % (n)

  < 2.5 h/week

65.4 (187)

64.5 (109)

66.7 (78)

n. s.

  ≥ 2.5 h/week

34.3 (98)

34.9 (59)

33.3 (39)

  No answer

0.3 (1)

0.6 (1)

0

 Smoking behaviour, % (n)

  Current smoker (daily/occasional)

30.1 (86)

29.6 (50)

30.8 (36)

n. s.

  Ex-smoker

36.7 (105)

39.1 (66)

33.3 (39)

  Non-smoker

33.2 (95)

31.4 (53)

35.9 (42)

 Alcohol consumptionb, % (n)

  Never or once/month

35.0 (100)

37.3 (63)

31.6 (37)

Χ2 (2, n = 286) = 11.45, p < .01, V = .200

  2–4 times/month

42.0 (120)

34.3 (58)

53.0 (62)

  ≥ 2 times/week

23.1 (66)

28.4 (48)

15.4 (18)

  1. a To test for significant relationships and differences between the groups, either chi-square tests for independence (where required with Yates´ Continuity Correction) or independent-samples t-tests were conducted. b To ensure better reading and/or participant privacy, the categories of this variable were aggregated