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Part-time Work or Social Benefits as Predictors for Disability Pension: a Prospective Study of Swedish Twins

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An Erratum to this article was published on 18 April 2013

Abstract

Background

To a large extent, it is unknown whether work absences other than sickness absence (SA) covered by social benefits such as parental leave, rehabilitation, or unemployment would predict disability pension (DP).

Purpose

We investigated whether part-time work or having received social benefits for sick leave, rehabilitation, or parental leave would be predictors for DP taking into account familial confounding (genetics and shared environment, e.g., social background) in these associations.

Method

A sample of 17,640 complete same-sex Swedish twin pairs was followed from 2000 to 2008 via national registries for their receipt of social benefits and DP including additional baseline questionnaire data. Cox proportional hazard ratios were estimated.

Results

Full-time work was less common (47 %) among those being granted DP during the follow-up compared to those without DP (69 %). Self-reported full-time work, part-time work (≥50 %), and self-employment and registry data of caring for a child were the direct protective factors, whereas self-reported part-time work (<50 %) and long-term SA and registry data on SA, compensation for rehabilitation, and benefits during return to work were the direct risk factors for DP, i.e., independent of familial confounding.

Conclusion

Part-time work and social benefits play different roles in predicting DP. Thus, full-time work, part-time work (≥50 %), self-employment, and benefits for parental leave seem to protect from DP. In contrast, SA and part-time work (<50 %) carry a highly increased risk for DP. Although these associations were mainly independent from several mediating factors, some of the associations seem to be influenced by family situation, social benefits, or severity of diseases.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by grants from the Swedish Research Council (521-2008-3054), the Swedish Society of Medicine, the Swedish Council for Working Life and Social Research (PS, KA), and the Karolinska Institutet Centre for Health Care Science. The Swedish Twin Registry is supported by the Department of Higher Education, the Swedish Research Council, and AstraZeneca. AR is supported by an Academy of Finland researcher grant (# 122080).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Medicine, University of Eastern Finland, P.O. Box 1627, 70211, Kuopio, Finland

    Annina Ropponen

  2. Division of Insurance Medicine, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden

    Kristina Alexanderson & Pia Svedberg

Authors
  1. Annina Ropponen
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  2. Kristina Alexanderson
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  3. Pia Svedberg
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Correspondence to Annina Ropponen.

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Ropponen, A., Alexanderson, K. & Svedberg, P. Part-time Work or Social Benefits as Predictors for Disability Pension: a Prospective Study of Swedish Twins. Int.J. Behav. Med. 21, 329–336 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12529-013-9303-4

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