Explaining the need for recovery in workers with and without visual impairment

Fatigue represents a substantial and frequently under-recognized burden for individuals with visual impairment. The need for recovery after work (NFR), a validated concept for occupational fatigue, is routinely employed to quantify this burden and has been linked to work-related stress and a spectrum of adverse health outcomes.

The aim was to explore the association and potential underlying mechanisms between visual status and NFR for workers with and without visual impairment, that is, whether this association was influenced by person and work-related factors.

Cross-sectional data on NFR and sociodemographic, work- and health-related factors were obtained with validated questionnaires. Interaction and mediation analysis were used to explore hypothesized relationships and (in)direct pathways contributing to work-related fatigue in a group of workers with (n = 58) and without (n = 189) visual impairment. In addition, predictors for NFR were identified in the subsample with visual impairment workers.

Linear regression analysis showed that visual status (β: 23.34, standard error: 4.39, p<0.001) was associated with NFR. Explorative analysis through interaction and mediation analysis revealed that this association was mediated by depressive symptoms and hindrance in daily activities. Depressive symptoms were also the only predictor in the subsample analysis with visual impairment workers (β: 16.91, standard error: 4.99, p=0.001).

This study showed that NFR after work is associated with visual impairment. However, experiencing depressive symptoms and hindrance in daily activities seem to be the underlying mechanisms in this association. Furthermore, depressive symptoms predict NFR in visual impairment. These insights provide us with new possibilities to identify and support workers with visual impairment who are at risk of developing higher NFR.