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Handbook of Disability, Work and Health pp 1–15Cite as

Personal and Environmental Factors Influencing Work Participation Among Individuals with Chronic Diseases

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Part of the book series: Handbook Series in Occupational Health Sciences ((HDBSOHS,volume 1))

Abstract

Recent policy reforms aim at encouraging workers, including those with chronic diseases, to prolong their working life. However, the employment rates of individuals with chronic diseases are still lower than those of healthy individuals. Therefore, it is important to gain insight into factors that hinder or facilitate individuals with chronic diseases to participate in work while maintaining work productivity. In this chapter, we searched for relevant literature reviews to provide an overview of the current knowledge on the personal and environmental determinants of work participation among individuals with chronic diseases. We found personal and environmental factors that enable individuals with chronic diseases to work sustainably. Examples of these factors are good health as well as healthy behavior, having adequate psychological resources, a supportive social environment, low job demands, adequate job resources, presence of organizational policies at work aiming at an open communication, and a positive and supporting work environment. In particular older women with chronic diseases in a low socioeconomic position seem to be at risk for decreased work participation. Employers and governments are encouraged to pay more attention to these personal and environmental factors in order to facilitate employees with chronic diseases to continue working sustainably. Researchers are encouraged to investigate these factors related to early retirement and presenteeism. Employers, governments, and researchers are also encouraged to take into account labor market developments, as the labor market becomes more flexible and more insecure, in combination with an increasing demand to work longer and to provide informal care.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Public and Occupational Health, Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Amsterdam UMC - Location VUmc, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Ranu Sewdas, Astrid de Wind & Cécile R. L. Boot

  2. Department of Health Sciences, Community and Occupational Medicine, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands

    Femke I. Abma & Sandra Brouwer

Authors
  1. Ranu Sewdas
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  2. Astrid de Wind
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  3. Femke I. Abma
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  4. Cécile R. L. Boot
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  5. Sandra Brouwer
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Correspondence to Sandra Brouwer .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Health Sciences, University Medical Center Groningen Department of Health Sciences, Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands

    Ute Bültmann

  2. Medizinische Fakultät, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldo Medizinische Fakultät, Düsseldorf, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany

    Johannes Siegrist

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Sewdas, R., de Wind, A., Abma, F.I., Boot, C.R.L., Brouwer, S. (2020). Personal and Environmental Factors Influencing Work Participation Among Individuals with Chronic Diseases. In: Bültmann, U., Siegrist, J. (eds) Handbook of Disability, Work and Health. Handbook Series in Occupational Health Sciences, vol 1. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-75381-2_21-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-75381-2_21-1

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