Affiliations: Linköping University, Faculty of Health Sciences,
Department of Social and Welfare Studies, Sweden | Linköping University, Faculty of Health Sciences,
Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Division of Psychiatry,
Sweden
Note: [] Address for correspondence: Elin Ekbladh, Linköping
University, Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Social and Welfare
Studies, SE-601 74 Norrköping, Sweden. Tel.: +46 11 363182; Fax: +46 11
363189; E-mail: Elin.Ekbladh@liu.se
Abstract: Worker Role Interview (WRI) is an assessment tool designed to
identify psychosocial and environmental factors which influence a person's
ability to return to work. The purpose of this study was to investigate if the
Worker Role Interview (WRI) can predict return to work over a period of two
years. Fifty three long-term sick-listed people were interviewed and rated with
the WRI. Differences in ratings and the ability of WRI to correctly predict
whether these people would fall into the working or non-working groups at 6, 12
and 24 month follow-ups were tested by Mann--Whitney test and logistic
regression respectively. Eight of 17 items in WRI were rated differently
between the groups at one or more of the follow-ups. The regression models
based on the WRI ratings had an overall correct prediction rate ranging from
81% to 96%. 'Expectation of job success' which concerns the person's
belief in abilities in relation to return to work emerged as an important
predictive factor for return to work in all statistical analyses. The WRI
assessment contains items that could predict return to work. This implies that
the WRI could be a useful tool in vocational rehabilitation for identifying
individual rehabilitation needs.
Keywords: Assessment, motivation, psychosocial, RTW, sick-leave, work ability
