Emotional disability days: prevalence and predictors

Abstract

This study considered days missed from work or usual activities for emotional reasons associated with a range of specific psychopathologic disorders, psychosocial distress, and persons found to be asymptomatic. Analyses were performed with the presence or absence of emotional disability days as the dependent variable using logistic regression. The effects of specific mental disorders were compared with the effects of chronic physical conditions for labor force participants and for the total population. The odds ratio (and 95% confidence interval) for subjects with major depressive disorder was 27.8 (6.93, 108.96); for panic disorder, 21.1 (2.25, 198.44); and for schizophrenia, 17.8 (1.73, 182.99). Work-place adjustments for persons with psychopathology are encouraged.