Affiliations: Division of Insurance Medicine, Department of Clinical
Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
Note: [] Address for correspondence: Pia Svedberg, PhD, Division of
Insurance Medicine, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet,
Berzeliusv.3, 6th floor, SE-171 77 Stockholm, Sweden. Tel.: +46 8 524 83215;
Fax: +46 8 524 83205; E-mail: Pia.Svedberg@ki.se
Abstract: Objective: To study if sick leave among employees in the Swedish
Police was associated with experiences of discrimination, harassment, or
(threats of) violence. Participants: All employees in the Swedish Police in 2005. Methods: Analyses of data from a questionnaire to all employees;
74% (n=16,725) responded. Odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence
intervals (CI) between sick leave and the studied factors were assessed. Results: The rate of sickness absence was higher for women (12%) than for
men (8%) (p< 0.001). More women than men had experienced
discrimination, while more men reported harassment from the public and
experiences of threats or violence. ORs were significant between sick-leave and
discrimination, sexual harassment, and violence, and higher for the men.
Associations between harassment from the public, threats of violence or
violence, and sickness absence were statistically significant for men only. Conclusion: The study identifies the importance of investigating
discrimination, harassment, and violence in relation to health outcomes for
both male and female Police employees.
Keywords: Sick leave, sexual harassment, risk factors, gender, work
