INTERPERSONAL CONFLICT AS A PREDICTOR OF WORK DISABILITY - A FOLLOW-UP-STUDY OF 15,348 FINNISH EMPLOYEES

This 6-year follow-up study investigates the impact of interpersonal c onflict at work on work disability among 8,021 male and 7,327 female e mployees aged 24 to 65 years at baseline. Marital status, marital conf lict, monotonous work, hectic work pace, hostility, neuroticism, life dissatisfaction, and experienced stress of daily activities were inclu ded in survival analyses, which were adjusted for age, social status, and general health status. Interpersonal conflict at work predicted wo rk disability only among women (RR 1.56, CL 1.01-2.39). This risk was confined to women who reported simultaneous marital conflicts (RR 2.54 , CL 1.03-6.22). When included in further analyses, life dissatisfacti on was a significant risk factor among both genders, but monotonous wo rk, neuroticism, and experienced stress of daily activities were risk factors only among men. These data suggest that interpersonal conflict could be a determinant of work disability, and this indicates the imp ortance of gender and marital factors.