Social Differentials in Non-Employment following Hospital Admission for Musculoskeletal Disorders in Sweden,2001–2006

The article studies social differentials in non-employment among individuals who had been employed in 2001 following hospital admission for musculoskeletal disorders, by gender, educational level, and country of birth, in Stockholm County during 2001–2006. Individually linked population registers on health service use and sociodemographic characteristics were used. Individuals ages 25 to 59, living in Stockholm County and having employment in 2001, were followed until 2006. Annual age-standardized employment rates were calculated for people admitted to the hospital and diagnosed with a musculoskeletal disorder (n = 1,888) and compared to a reference group of others in employment. Multivariate Cox regression analysis was used to calculate the hazard risks of non-employment in 2006. Both women and men admitted to the hospital had lower age-standardized employment rates compared to the reference group and were at higher risk of non-employment. The hazard risk of non-employment was significantly higher among women and men with short education and among foreign-born individuals. Employment consequences of musculoskeletal disorders seem to be unequally distributed between different social groups, with women, people with short education, and people born outside Sweden more likely to be non-employed.