Prevalence of anxiety disorders as a cause of workers’ absence

to analyze the prevalence of various anxiety disorders among mental and behavioral disorders as a cause for the leave of absence of workers in the state of Piauí.

Method:

transversal census-based study performed with data from the National Social Security Institute. Four-hundred twelve leaves of absence of workers due to anxiety disorders in the 2015-2016 biennium were included.

Results:

higher prevalence was found for mixed anxiety-depressed disorder (31.2%), followed by other anxious disorders (20.6%) and generalized anxiety (14.1%). Ages from 22 to 45 years old prevailed in the group of individuals with duration of absence greater than or equal to 41 days, with statistically significant difference (p < 0.001). There was no statistically significant association (p = 0.004) between rural activity and increased time of absence.

Conclusion:

the study draws attention to the prevalence of “other anxiety disorders” as the cause of leave of absence, with emphasis on mixed anxiety-depressed disorder.

Descriptors:
Anxiety; Absenteeism; Social Security; Occupational Health; Mental Health

Variable	Category	n	(%)	p value
Sex	Male	181	43.9	0.014^* * statistically significant p value (Chi-Square Goodness of Fit test for expected equal proportions). *Other municipalities of Piauí, where absences due to AD occurred in the studied period: Floriano, Parnaíba, Piripiri, Picos, among others.
	Female	231	56.1
	Total	412	100
Age group (years)	18 to 24	29	7.0	< 0.001^* * statistically significant p value (Chi-Square Goodness of Fit test for expected equal proportions). *Other municipalities of Piauí, where absences due to AD occurred in the studied period: Floriano, Parnaíba, Piripiri, Picos, among others.
	25 to 29	52	12.6
	30 to 40	154	37.4
	41 to 50	93	22.6
	51 to 60	72	17.5
	More than 60	12	2.9
	Total	412	100
Income (minimum wages)	1 to 2	319	77.4	< 0.001^* * statistically significant p value (Chi-Square Goodness of Fit test for expected equal proportions). *Other municipalities of Piauí, where absences due to AD occurred in the studied period: Floriano, Parnaíba, Piripiri, Picos, among others.
	2 to 3	44	10.7
	3 to 4	25	6.1
	4 to 5	14	3.4
	5 or more	10	2.4
	Total	412	100
Municipality of origin	Teresina	215	52.2	< 0.001^* * statistically significant p value (Chi-Square Goodness of Fit test for expected equal proportions). *Other municipalities of Piauí, where absences due to AD occurred in the studied period: Floriano, Parnaíba, Piripiri, Picos, among others.
	Other municipalities of Piauí^* * statistically significant p value (Chi-Square Goodness of Fit test for expected equal proportions). *Other municipalities of Piauí, where absences due to AD occurred in the studied period: Floriano, Parnaíba, Piripiri, Picos, among others.	178	43.2
	Municipalities in other states	19	4.6
	Total	412	100
Sector	Urban	357	86.4	< 0.001^* * statistically significant p value (Chi-Square Goodness of Fit test for expected equal proportions). *Other municipalities of Piauí, where absences due to AD occurred in the studied period: Floriano, Parnaíba, Piripiri, Picos, among others.
	Rural	55	13.4
	Total	412	100

Variable	Category	n	(%)	p value
Year in which the absence occurred	2015	164	39.8	*< 0.001^ * statistically significant p value (Chi-Square Goodness of Fit test for expected equal proportions).**
	2016	248	60.2
	Total	412	100
Type of absence	Statutory sick pay	316	76.7	*< 0.001^ * statistically significant p value (Chi-Square Goodness of Fit test for expected equal proportions).**
	Accident at work sick pay	77	18.7
	Disability retirement for work-related injury	3	0.7
	Statutory disability retirement	16	3.9
	Total	412	100
Cause of absence	Mixed anxiety-depressed disorder	128	31.2
	Other anxiety disorders	85	20.6	*< 0.001^ * statistically significant p value (Chi-Square Goodness of Fit test for expected equal proportions).**
	Generalized anxiety	58	14.1
	Panic disorder	48	11.6
	Reaction to severe stress and adjustment disorders	17	4.1
	Acute reaction to stress	16	3.9
	Post-traumatic stress	15	3.6
	Adjustment disorder	12	2.9
	Obsessive-compulsive disorder	6	1.5
	Others^ The category “other” includes disorders n<6: phobic anxiety disorders; agoraphobia; social phobias; other mixed anxiety disorders; non-specified anxiety disorder; obsessive-compulsive disorder with predominance of obsessive ideas or ruminations; obsessive-compulsive disorder with predominance of compulsive behaviors (obsessive rituals); obsessive-compulsive disorder, mixed form, with obsessive ideas and compulsive behaviors; non-specified obsessive-compulsive disorder; other reactions to severe stress; dissociative movement disorders; dissociative convulsions; somatoform disorders; non-specified neurotic disorder.	27	6.5
	Total	412	100
Time of absence (days)^* ***** Workers absent due to retirement having been excluded.	Up to 30	39	9.9	*< 0.001^ * statistically significant p value (Chi-Square Goodness of Fit test for expected equal proportions).**
	31 to 60	95	24.2
	61 to 90	94	23.9
	91 to 120	70	17.8
	121 to 180	51	12.9
	More than 180	44	11.3
	Total	393	100

Variable	Category	Time of absence (days)				p value
		< 41		≥ 41
		n	%	n	%

Sex	Male	26	41.3	143	43.3	0.762
	Female	37	58.7	187	56.7
	Total	63	100	330	100
Age (years)	18 to 21	2	3.2	6	1.8	< 0.001*
	22 to 45	49	77.8	222	67.3
	46 to 60	11	17.5	92	27.9
	More than 60	1	1.6	10	3.0
	Total	63	100	330	100
Income (minimum wages)	1 to 2	45	71.4	260	78.8	0.199
	More than 2	18	28.6	70	21.2
	Total	63	100	330	100
Sector	Urban	61	96.8	281	85.2	0.004*
	Rural	2	3.2	49	14.8
	Total	63	100	330	100
Type of sick pay	Statutory	47	74.6	269	81.5	0.205
	Accident at work	16	25.4	61	18.5
	Total	63	100	330	100
Disorder which motivated the absence	Panic disorder	9	14.3	38	11.5	0.071
	Generalized anxiety	6	9.5	52	15.8
	Mixed anxiety-depressed disorder	13	20.6	107	32.4
	Other	35	55.6	133	40.3
	Total	63	100	330	100

Associação Brasileira de Enfermagem SGA Norte Quadra 603 Conj. "B" - Av. L2 Norte 70830-102 Brasília, DF, Brasil, Tel.: (55 61) 3226-0653, Fax: (55 61) 3225-4473 - Brasília - DF - Brazil
E-mail: reben@abennacional.org.br

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[1] CORRESPONDING AUTHOR: Márcia Astrês Fernandes E-mail: m.astres@ufpi.edu.br