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The relationship between perceived stress and self-reported illness-related absenteeism
B H Jacobson1, S G Aldana, R Z Goetzel
1Oklahoma State University, School of Health, Physical Education and Leisure, Calvin Physical Education Center, Stillwater 74078-0616, USA.
Purpose:
To investigate the association between perceived stress and illness-related work absenteeism.
Design:
A standardized health profile questionnaire developed by Johnson & Johnson Advanced Behavioral Technologies, Inc., was used to collect demographic and personal health data between June 1988 and January 1993. Chi-square, odds ratio, and stepwise regression tests were used to analyze perceived stress and self-reported absenteeism data.
Setting:
Worksite health promotion programs in 250 U.S. companies.
Subjects:
Subjects consisted of 79,070 employees.
Measures:
Stress data, grouped as low, moderate, and high, were correlated with absenteeism data grouped by annual days missed (None, 1 to 2, 3 to 4, and 5+).
Results:
Significant relationships were found (p < or = .05) between high stress and absenteeism for both genders. Female workers reported higher stress levels and absenteeism than men. Those with high stress were 2.22 more likely to be absent 5+ days per year than those with low stress. Work, finances, and family were the highest stress sources. Greatest absenteeism predictors were health, legal, social, and financial stress.
Conclusions:
These data primarily represented self-selected white workers and may not apply to all employees. However, if high stress relates to absenteeism, these data may provide valuable information for program design in stress management.