Spanningsklachten, overspanning en burn-out in de context van een arbodienst: Verzuimduur, behandeling en voorspellen van verzuimduur met de BAT

Abstract

Remarkably little research has been conducted on absenteeism due to burnout and related diagnoses. We therefore proposed the following research questions: 1) What is the sickness absence in relation to these diagnoses? (2) By whom are these employees treated? (3) Is the Burnout Assessment Tool (BAT) a good predictor of sickness absence duration? Data with two-year follow-up were collected among 3,462 employees who were absent in 2020 due to stress complaints (n = 691), overstrain (n = 2,254) or burnout (n = 517), through registered data and employee questionnaires including the BAT and the Four Dimensional Symptom Questionnaire (4DSQ). Results show that two-thirds of those with stress complaints, half of those with overstrain and one third of those with burnout returned to work within half a year. At the beginning of the absence, almost half was already under treatment, with the mental health assistant of the general practitioner and psychologists being most common, and more often with burnout. The BAT explained only 0.8% of variance in absence duration, as well as the 4DSQ. To conclude: differences in absence duration between the three diagnoses aligned with guidelines. Particularly those with burnout have additional treatment already early during absence. The BAT and 4DSQ are significant but not clinically relevant predictors of sickness absence duration.