Effects of psychosocial work factors and psychological distress on self-assessed work ability: A 7-year follow-up in a general working population

Background Toinvestigate the effects of psychosocial work factors (PWF) and psychological distress (PD) on self-assessed work ability. Methods This follow-up study included 7,810 individuals (55%women) with good work ability at baseline. PWFandPD (measured by GHQ-12) were assessed at baseline and work ability at 7-year follow-up. Effects of PWF and PD on work ability were analyzed by logistic regression, odds ratios (OR) with 95% CI, and by mediation analysisusing 4-way decomposition. Results Low support was associated with poor work ability for both women and men (OR 1.78 and 1.89). For men, also low skill discretion was associated with poor work ability (OR 2.07). For both women and men, PD was associated with poor work ability (OR 3.41 and 1.84). PD did not act as an intermediate variablein the association between PWF and work ability. Conclusion Strategies for sustainable work ability should focus on both working conditions and health factors. Am. J. Ind. Med. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.