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Published on: October 6, 2023
Reexamining the arthritis-employment interface: perceptions of arthritis-work spillover among employed adults
Monique A M Gignac1, Deborah Sutton, Elizabeth M Badley
1Arthritis Community Research & Evaluation Unit, Toronto Western Research Institute at the University Health Network, Main Pavilion 10th floor, Room 10-316, 399 Bathurst Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5T 2S8. gignac@uhnres.utoronto.ca
Objective:
To examine employed individuals' perceptions of arthritis-work spillover (AWS), the reciprocal influence of arthritis on work and work on arthritis, and the demographic, illness, and work context factors associated with AWS.
Methods:
The study group comprised 492 employed individuals with osteoarthritis or inflammatory arthritis. Participants completed an interview-administered, structured questionnaire assessing AWS, demographic (e.g., age, sex), illness (e.g., disease type, pain, activity limitations), and work context (e.g., workplace control, hours of work) variables. Principal components analysis, reliability analysis, and multiple linear regression were used to analyze the data.
Results:
A single factor solution emerged for AWS. The scale had an internal reliability of 0.88. Respondents were more likely to report that work interfered with caring for their arthritis than they were to report that their disease affected their work performance. Younger respondents, those with more fatigue and workplace activity limitations, and those working in trades and transportation reported more AWS. Individuals with more control over their work schedules reported less AWS.
Conclusion:
The results of this study extend research on arthritis by reexamining the interface between arthritis and employment. This study introduces a new measure of AWS that enhances the range of tools available to researchers and clinicians examining the impact of arthritis in individuals' lives.
