Studying mental health in the context of employment often focuses on individual disorders, potentially overlooking underlying commonalities across different diagnoses. A transdiagnostic perspective recognizes that certain aspects of job tenure may have broad-reaching implications for employability services that cut across multiple mental disorders. This scoping review seeks to identify common factors influencing job tenure in people living with mental disorders using a transdiagnostic approach. The study protocol followed PRISMA-ScR guidelines and was registered on the Open Science Framework platform ( https://osf.io/rp97e/ ). The search strategy was completed in November 2025 and involved searches in 7 databases. A total of 9715 abstracts were uploaded to Covidence for screening. This scoping review included 110 studies and identified 17 factors influencing job tenure categorized based on modifiability and stakeholder responsibility, as follows–Entrusted to workplace stakeholders (1) workplace characteristics and working conditions, (2) psychosocial work environment, (3) informal support and perceptions; Entrusted to the individual and their support teams (4) psychological, social and practical characteristics, (5) receiving employment support, (6) psychiatric diagnosis, clinical symptoms and functioning, (7) support from relatives and broader social networks, (8) receiving therapy and counseling services, (9) daily functioning; Shared responsibilities (10) collaboration between all stakeholders, (11) disclosure of mental illness in the workplace, (12) motivation, (13) person-job fit, (14) work-life balance, (15) financial assistance during sick leave; Immutable factors (16) sociodemographic characteristics, (17) work and education history. Findings support role clarification for stakeholders and guide service organization to improve job tenure across diverse mental disorders.
Urinary incontinence (UI) and lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) are largely invisible to others. Managing these conditions can restrict participation in life roles, particularly those involving community life, such as participating in work occupations. The purpose was to describe existing and emerging evidence on the experience of UI/LUTS on participation in work. A scoping review, using the Joanna Briggs Institute methodology, was conducted. Six academic databases plus supplementary web-based search engines were systematically searched to locate evidence. Records describing the experience of UI/LUTS on work participation, available in English and full text, published in or after 2002 were included. The review included 39 records. Most evidence collected data via self-report on quantitative instruments measuring the impact of UI/LUTS on work participation, revealing sparse research exploring the experience in work of individuals with UI/LUTS using qualitative methodologies. UI/LUTS limited work participation for individuals of all ages, and sex. Individuals with increased UI/LUTS severity reported greater cognitive, physical and psychosocial impacts on work participation. UI/LUTS were exacerbated by job type, specific work activities, inflexible work scheduling, and workplace design, for example, restricted bathroom access, breaks, or relief workers. Individuals with UI/LUTS employed varied management strategies including delayed voiding, fluid restriction, and wearing incontinence products at work. UI/LUTS impacts work participation with the burden for managing symptoms falling heavily on individuals. A deeper understanding of the impact on work from individuals living with UI/LUTS is needed to guide practice, design, and policies to increase inclusion and participation.
Diabetes is a chronic condition that affects many aspects of individuals’ lives, including their ability to participate in work and daily activities. However, how diabetes affects the (work) participation of women and men of different backgrounds, remains unclear. We conducted 12 interviews with women and men with diabetes of different ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds between the ages of 18 and 67. These interviews concerned participants’ characteristics, as well as work-related and social factors that affected their ability to continue paid work with diabetes. We used outcome-mapping to facilitate the discussion of different factors affecting (work) participation with diabetes. We conducted a thematic analysis using an interpretative research paradigm and an exploratory secondary intersectional analysis, and structured our results using the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF) framework. Symptoms of diabetes and the effort to regulate diabetes strongly impacted the ability to (remain in) work. Other barriers included physically demanding work, work pressure/stress, long commutes, and inflexible and irregular working hours, whereas facilitators included flexibility, a supportive work- and social environment, workplace accommodations, favourable employment conditions, diabetes disclosure and acceptance, and setting boundaries. While findings were mostly comparable, small, preliminary differences based on social identities emerged reducing working hours, coping mechanisms, diabetes acceptance, and a need to prove oneself. Remaining in work with diabetes is shaped by diabetes-related challenges and workplace factors, with minor differences observed across genders and ethnic groups.
Work disability prevention research presumes formal systems (sick leave, graded return to work, accommodation legislation, disability insurance) that are absent for workers in informal and conflict-affected labor markets. This paper reports the theory-based development of Sumud at Work, a prototype occupational therapy intervention for staying at work among Palestinian workers with chronic and episodic hand conditions. An intervention development study using a combined theory- and evidence-based approach within the development phase of the Medical Research Council framework, reported per GUIDED. Three steps were followed: synthesis of stay-at-work, self-management, and contextual evidence; theoretical modeling using the Sumud-MOHO framework mapped against the work disability arena model; and specification of a program theory, logic model, and manualized intervention described per TIDieR. The prototype specifies four modules for approximately four occupational therapy contacts after a joint surgeon and occupational therapist first visit: a narrative module intended to reframe protective work strategies as strategic steadfastness (Sumud); a protection module operationalizing flare-contingent two-track work routines, splinting, and tool adaptation (Sutra); a mutual-help module mobilizing family and community labor exchange as a proposed substitute for formal accommodation (‘Awna); and a documentation module recording structural barriers, including checkpoint-related disruption, within routine care. All mechanisms are hypotheses; guardrails distinguish sustainable from sacrificial steadfastness and keep disclosure worker-controlled. The prototype proposes relocating accommodation from absent institutions to cultural and collective practices and adds a political landscape layer to the work disability arena model. Its mechanisms are untested and its transferability beyond Palestine unestablished. Co-design, feasibility testing, and evaluation follow.
Workplace well-being interviews are increasingly used as a preventive measure to reduce sickness absence and support employee well-being. However, little is known about how these interviews are experienced in practice or how interactions between employees and line managers shape these experiences. This study explored how interactions between employees and line managers shape their experiences of workplace well-being interviews in Danish public sector workplaces. An exploratory qualitative study was conducted using semi-structured interviews with six line managers and nine employees from six work units in two Danish municipalities. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Experiences of workplace well-being interviews were strongly shaped by the quality of interaction between employees and line managers. Trust, empathy, and perceived genuine care contributed to interviews being experienced as supportive, meaningful, and relevant. In contrast, when trust was lacking, employees described discomfort, nervousness, and a sense of having to justify their sickness absence. Employees particularly experienced the interviews as less meaningful when the cause of absenteeism was perceived as unrelated to work and beyond their control. Standardized organizational procedures also appeared to influence how employees and line managers positioned themselves during the interaction, sometimes reinforcing expectations of accountability. The findings highlight the central role of interaction in shaping experiences of workplace well-being interviews. The preventive potential of such interviews may depend on trustful employee–line manager relationships and flexible approaches that consider employees’ individual circumstances and the perceived causes of sickness absence.
