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Subjective Quality of Life According to Work Status Following Interdisciplinary Work Rehabilitation Consequent to Musculoskeletal Disability

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Abstract

Introduction Individualized subjective quality of life (ISQoL) is the appraisal of quality of life according to personal values, desired goal attainment and life priorities. “Gap” is a way to operationalize ISQoL. ISQoL is rarely measured by interdisciplinary work rehabilitation (IWR) programs attended by the musculoskeletal disorder (MSD) population. These programs commonly measure pain intensity, physical capacity, perceived disability, distress and return to work. Objectives The aims of this study were to compare ISQoL according to work status and reference values and to explore the relationships between ISQoL and common IWR measures. Methods Six months after completing an IWR program, 40 working and 31 not-working participants completed questionnaires documenting work status, pain, ISQoL gap, health-related quality of life (SF-36, PCS and MCS), perceived disability and distress. Results No significant difference in global ISQoL gap was found between working and not-working participants. When compared to reference values considerable variability exists but globally, for both groups, ISQoL gap scores were below average. The following clinical variables were related to global ISQoL (P < 0.05): pain (r = −0.42), PCS (r = −0.37), MCS (r = −0.56), perceived disability (r = 0.37) and distress (r = 0.61). High distress, present in both groups, explains 38% of the global ISQoL gap variance and PCS adds 4%. Conclusion Following IWR programs for the chronic MSD population, global ISQoL gap is not related to work status. The use of a client-centered interactive computerized measure of ISQoL reveals that domains related to emotional well-being are likely the most problematic for the persistently disabled MSD population.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Rehabilitation, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada

    Carmen E. Moliner, Marie-José Durand, Johanne Desrosiers & Marie-France Coutu

  2. Centre d’Action en Prévention et Réadaptation de l’Incapacité au Travail, Complexe Saint-Charles, 1111, rue Saint-Charles Ouest, bureau 101, Longueuil, QC, Canada, J4K 5G4

    Marie-José Durand

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  1. Carmen E. Moliner
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Moliner, C.E., Durand, MJ., Desrosiers, J. et al. Subjective Quality of Life According to Work Status Following Interdisciplinary Work Rehabilitation Consequent to Musculoskeletal Disability. J Occup Rehabil 17, 667–682 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10926-007-9100-5

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