Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 30, 2026

Establishment of Rat Models Mimicking Gender-affirming Hormone Therapies
Published on: January 10, 2025
Human service work and long-term sickness absence due to mental disorders: a prospective study of gender-specific
Lauri Kokkinen1, Anne Kouvonen2, André Buscariolli3
1Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, Helsinki and Tampere, Finland; Faculty of Social Sciences, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland.
Purpose:
The aim of the study was to investigate sickness absence due to mental disorders in human service occupations.
Methods:
Participants (n = 1,466,100) were randomly selected from two consecutive national 9-year cohorts from the Statistics Finland population database; each cohort represented a 33% sample of the Finnish population aged 25-54 years. These data were linked to diagnosis-specific records on receipt of sickness allowance, drawn from a national register maintained by the Social Insurance Institution of Finland, using personal identification numbers.
Results:
Sociodemographic-adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) for sickness absence due to mental disorders in all human service occupations combined were 1.76 for men (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.70-1.84) and 1.36 for women (95% CI, 1.34-1.38) compared with men and women in all other occupations, respectively. Of the 15 specific human service occupations, compared with occupations from the same skill/education level without a significant human service component, medical doctors, psychologists, and service clerks were the only occupations with no increased hazard for either sex, and the HRs were highest for male social care workers (HR 3.02; 95% CI, 2.67-3.41).
Conclusions:
Most human service occupations had an increased risk of sickness absence due to mental disorders, and the increases in risks were especially high for men.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)
Socioemotional Experience and Gender Development
Stress and Mental Health
Individuals with depression often experience challenges in both their personal and professional...
Intrinsically Disordered Proteins
Long-term Depression
Higher Mental Functions of the Brain: Language
Language formation and comprehension take place in the dominant hemisphere. The dominant hemisphere is responsible for understanding the meaning of spoken, written, or sign language, as well as the ability to communicate. For most people, the left hemisphere is the dominant one. The right hemisphere, then, gives tone and emotional context to the...

