Publication Cover
Work & Stress
An International Journal of Work, Health & Organisations
Volume 38, 2024 - Issue 2
2,006
Views
1
CrossRef citations to date
0
Altmetric
Articles

“It’s a rollercoaster”: the recovery and return to work experiences of workers with long COVID

&
Pages 202-230 | Received 09 Sep 2022, Accepted 19 Nov 2023, Published online: 24 Nov 2023

References

  • Akbarialiabad, H., Taghrir, M. H., Abdollahi, A., Ghahramani, N., Kumar, M., Paydar, S., … Bastani, B. (2021). Long COVID, a comprehensive systematic scoping review COVID, a comprehensive systematic scoping review. Infection, 49, 1163–1186. https://doi.org/10.1007/s15010-021-01666-x.
  • Alvesson, M. (2010). Self-doubters, strugglers, storytellers, surfers and others: Images of self-identities in organization studies. Human Relations, 63(2), 193–217. https://doi.org/10.1177/0018726709350372
  • Arends, I., Almansa, J., Stansfeld, S. A., Amick, B. C., Van Der Klink, J. J. L., & Bültmann, U. (2019). One-year trajectories of mental health and work outcomes post return to work in patients with common mental disorders-year trajectories of mental health and work outcomes post return to work in patients with common mental disorders. Journal of Affective Disorders of Affective Disorders, 257, 263–270. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2019.07.018
  • Briggs, A., & Vassall, A. (2021). Count the cost of disability caused by COVID-19 the cost of disability caused by COVID-19. Nature, 593(7860), 502–505. https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-021-01392-2
  • Brocki, J. M., & Wearden, A. J. (2006). A critical evaluation of the use of interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) in health psychology. Psychology & Health, 21(1), 87–108. https://doi.org/10.1080/14768320500230185
  • Bruner, J. (1991). Introduction narrative construction of reality. Critique Inquiry, 18(1), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1080/03017609108413334
  • Callan, C., Ladds, E., Husain, L., Pattinson, K., & Greenhalgh, T. (2021). “I can’t cope with multiple inputs”: Qualitative study of the lived experience of ‘brain fog’ after Covid-19. medRxiv, https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.08.07.21261740
  • Carollo, L., & Guerci, M. (2018). ‘Activists in a suit’: Paradoxes and metaphors in sustainability managers’ identity work in a suit’: Paradoxes and metaphors in sustainability managers’ identity work. Journal of Business Ethics of Business Ethics, 148(2), 249–268. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-017-3582-7
  • Cassell, E. J. (1999). Diagnosing suffering: A perspective. Annals of Internal Medicine, 131(7), 531–534. https://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-131-7-199910050-00009
  • Cassell, E. J. (2004). The nature of suffering and the goals of medicine (2nd ed.). Oxford University Press.
  • Caza, B. B., Vough, H., & Puranik, H. (2018). Identity work in organizations and occupations: Definitions, theories, and pathways forward. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 39(7), 889–910. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.2318
  • Corbière, M., Mazaniello-Chézol, M., Lecomte, T., Guay, S., & Panaccio, A. (2022). Developing a collaborative and sustainable return to work program for employees with common mental disorders: A participatory research with public and private organizations. Disability and Rehabilitation, 44(18), 5199–5211. https://doi.org/10.1080/09638288.2021.1931481
  • Davis, H. E., Assaf, G., McCorkell, L., Wei, H., Low, R. J., Re'em, Y., Redfield, S., Austin, J. P., & Akrami, A. (2021). Characterizing long COVID in an international cohort: 7 months of symptoms and their impact. The Lancet, https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3820561
  • De Cremer, D., Brebels, L., & Sedikides, C. (2008). Being uncertain about what? Procedural fairness effects as a function of general uncertainty and belongingness uncertainty uncertain about what? Procedural fairness effects as a function of general uncertainty and belongingness uncertainty. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology of Experimental Social Psychology, 44(6), 1520–1525. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2008.07.010
  • Disability Discrimination Act. (1995). https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1995/50/contents July, 25th, 2023
  • Drew, F. L. (1987). Suffering and autonomy. Loss, Grief & Care, 1(1-2), 19–24.https://doi.org/10.1300/J132v01n01_02
  • Eatough, V., & Smith, J. A. (2008). Interpretative phenomenological analysis. In C. Willig & W. Stainton Rogers (Eds.), Handbook of qualitative psychology (pp. 179–194). Sage.
  • Employment Rights Act. (1996). https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1996/18/contents on July 25th 2023
  • Eurostat. (2020). Majority of health jobs held by women. Retrieved November 20, 2021, from https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/products-eurostat-news/-/edn-20210308-1
  • Frank, A. W. (2013). The wounded storyteller: Body, illness, and ethics. University of Chicago Press.
  • Frost, N. (2021). Qualitative research methods in psychology: Combining core approaches 2e. McGraw-Hill Education (UK).
  • Giddens, A. (1991). Modernity and self-identity. Polity Press.
  • Hagerty, B. M., Lynch-Sauer, J. L., Patusky, K., Bouwsema, M., & Collier, P. (1992). Sense of belonging: A vital mental health concept. Archives of Psychiatric Nursing, 6(3), 172–177. https://doi.org/10.1016/0883-9417(92)90028-H
  • Halbesleben, J. R. B., Neveu, J. P., Paustian-Underdahl, S. C., & Westman, M. (2014). Getting to the “COR”. Journal of Management, 40(5), 1334–1364. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206314527130
  • Haslam, S. A., Jetten, J., O'Brien, A., & Jacobs, E. (2004). Social identity, social influence and reactions to potentially stressful tasks: Support for the self-categorization model of stress. Stress and Health, 20(1), 3–9. https://doi.org/10.1002/smi.995
  • Hobfoll, S. E. (1989). Conservation of resources: A new attempt at conceptualizing stress. American Psychologist, 44(3), 513–524. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.44.3.513
  • Ibarra, H., & Barbulescu, R. (2010). Identity as narrative: Prevalence, effectiveness, and consequences of narrative identity work in macro work role transitions. Academy of Management Review, 35(1), 135–154.
  • Kirpal, S. (2004). Work identities of nurses. Career Development International, 9(3), 274–304. https://doi.org/10.1108/13620430410535850
  • Krikorian, A, Limonero, J. T., & Maté, J. (2012). Suffering and distress at the end-of-life. Psycho-Oncology, 21(8), 799–808. https://doi.org/10.1002/pon.v21.8.
  • Ladds, E., Rushforth, A., Wieringa, S., Taylor, S., Rayner, C., Husain, L., & Greenhalgh, T. (2020). Persistent symptoms after COVID-19: Qualitative study of 114 “long COVID” patients and draft quality principles for services. BMC Health Services Research, 20(1), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-020-06001-y
  • Larkin, M., Watts, S., & Clifton, W. (2006). Giving voice and making sense in interpretative phenomenological analysis. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 102–120. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp062oa
  • Leary, M. R., & Baumeister, R. F. (1995). The need to belong. Psychological Bulletin, 117(3), 497–529. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780367198459-REPRW57-1
  • Lunt, J., Hemming, S., Elander, J., Baraniak, A., Burton, K., & Ellington, D. (2022). Experiences of workers with post-COVID-19 symptoms can signpost suitable workplace accommodations. International Journal of Workplace Health Management, 15(3), 359–374. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJWHM-03-2021-0075
  • Millward, L. J. (2006). The transition to motherhood in an organizational context: An interpretative phenomenological analysis. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 79(3), 315–333. https://doi.org/10.1348/096317906X110322
  • Neale, B. (2021). The craft of qualitative longitudinal research: The craft of researching lives through time. Sage.
  • NICE guidance. (2020). https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng188/documents/final-scope
  • Nielsen, K., & Yarker, J. (2023). Thrivers, survivors or exiteers: A longitudinal, interpretative phenomenological analysis of the post-return to work journeys for workers with common mental disorders. Applied Psychology: An International Review. https://doi.org/10.1111/apps.12479
  • Nielsen, K., Yarker, J., Munir, F., & Bültmann, U. (2018). IGLOO: An integrated framework for sustainable return to work in workers with common mental disorders. Work & Stress, 32(4), 400–417. https://doi.org/10.1080/02678373.2018.1438536
  • NIHR. (2021). A dynamic review of the evidence around ongoing Covid19 (often called Long Covid). https://doi.org/10.3310/themedreview_45225
  • Nizza, I. E., Farr, J., & Smith, J. A. (2021). Achieving excellence in interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA): Four markers of high quality. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 18(3), 369–386. https://doi.org/10.1080/14780887.2020.1854404
  • ONS. (2023). Prevalence of ongoing symptoms following coronavirus (COVID-19) infection in the UK: 30 March 2023. Retrieved November 22, 2023, from https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/conditionsanddiseases/bulletins/prevalenceofongoingsymptomsfollowingcoronaviruscovid19infectionintheuk/30march2023.
  • Peat, G., Rodriguez, A., & Smith, J. (2019). Interpretive phenomenological analysis applied to healthcare research. Evidence Based Nursing, https://doi.org/10.1136/ebnurs-2018-103017
  • Pietkiewicz, I., & Smith, J. A. (2014). A practical guide to using interpretative phenomenological analysis in qualitative research psychology. Psychological Journal, 20(1), 7–14.
  • Reuschke, D., & Houston, D. (2023). The impact of long COVID on the UK workforce. Applied Economics Letters, 30(18), 2510–2514. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504851.2022.2098239
  • Rushforth, A., Ladds, E., Wieringa, S., Taylor, S., Husain, L., & Greenhalgh, T. (2021). Long COVID – The illness narratives. Social Science & Medicine, 286, Article 114326. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2021.114326
  • Shinebourne, P. (2011). The theoretical underpinnings of interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). Existential Analysis: Journal of the Society for Existential Analysis, 22(1), 16–31.
  • Skorikov, V. B., & Vondracek, F. W. (2011). Occupational identity. In S. J. Schwartz, K. Luyckx, & V. L. Vignoles (Eds.), Handbook of identity, theory and research (pp. 693–714). Springer.
  • Smith, J. A. (1999). Identity development during the transition to motherhood: An interpretative phenomenological analysis. Journal of Reproductive and Infant Psychology, 17(3), 281–299. https://doi.org/10.1080/02646839908404595
  • Smith, J. A. (2004). Reflecting on the development of interpretative phenomenological analysis and its contribution to qualitative research in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 1(1), 39–54.
  • Smith, J. A. (2011). Evaluating the contribution of interpretative phenomenological analysis. Health Psychology Review, 5(1), 9–27. https://doi.org/10.1080/17437199.2010.510659
  • Smith, J. A., & Fieldsend, M. (2021). Interpretative phenomenological analysis. In P. M. Camic (Ed.), Qualitative research in psychology: Expanding perspectives in methodology and design (pp. 147–166). American Psychological Association.
  • Smith, J. A., & Shinebourne, P. (2012). Interpretative phenomenological analysis. In H. Cooper, P. M. Camic, D. L. Long, A. T. Panter, D. Rindskopf, & K. J. Sher (Eds.), APA handbook of research methods in psychology, Vol. 2. Research designs: Quantitative, qualitative, neuropsychological, and biological (pp. 73–82). American Psychological Association.
  • Spears, R. (2021). Social influence and group identity. Annual Review of Psychology, 72(1), 367–390. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-psych-070620-111818
  • Sveningsson, S., & Alvesson, M. (2003). Managing managerial identities: Organizational fragmentation, discourse and identity struggle. Human Relations, 56(10), 1163–1193. https://doi.org/10.1177/00187267035610001
  • Tajfel, H., & Turner, J. C. (1979). An integrative theory of intergroup conflict. In W. Austin & S. Worchel (Eds.), The social psychology of intergroup relations (pp. 33–48). Brooks/Cole.
  • Thompson, E. J., Williams, D. M., Walker, A. J., Mitchell, R. E., Niedzwiedz, C. L., Yang, T. C., Huggins, C. F., Kwong, A. S. F., Silverwood, R. J., Di Gessa, G., Bowyer, R. C. E., Northstone, K., Hou, B., Green, M. J., Dodgeon, B., Doores, K. J., Duncan, E. L., Williams, F. M. K., Walker, A. J., & Steves, C. J. (2022). Long COVID burden and risk factors in 10 UK longitudinal studies and electronic health records. Nature Communications, 13(1), 3528. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-30836-0
  • Tjulin, Å, MacEachen, E., & Ekberg, K. (2010). Exploring workplace actors experiences of the social organization of return-to-work. Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation, 20(3), 311–321. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10926-009-9209-9
  • TUC. (2021). Workers’ experiences of long COVID: A TUC report. Retrieved November 15, 2021, from https://www.tuc.org.uk/research-analysis/reports/workers-experiences-long-covid
  • Uchiyama, Y., Sasanuma, N., Nanto, T., Fujita, K., Takahashi, M., Iwasa, S., Koyama, T., Kodama, N., & Domen, K. (2021). COVID-19 patient returned to work after long hospitalization and follow-up: A case report. Progress in Rehabilitation Medicine, 6, Article 20210025. https://doi.org/10.2490/prm.20210025
  • Walker, S., Goodfellow, H., Pookarnjanamorakot, P., Murray, E., Bindman, J., Blandford, A., Bradbury, K., Cooper, B., Hamilton, F. L., Hurst, J. R., Hylton, H., Linke, S., Pfeffer, P., Ricketts, W., Robson, C., Stevenson, F. A., Sunkersing, D., Wang, J., Gomes, M., & Living With Covid Recovery Collaboration. (2023). Impact of fatigue as the primary determinant of functional limitations among patients with post-COVID-19 syndrome: A cross-sectional observational study. BMJ Open, 13(6), e069217. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2022-069217
  • Watson, T. J. (2008). Managing identity: Identity work, personal predicaments and structural circumstances. Organization, 15(1), 121–143. https://doi.org/10.1177/1350508407084488
  • WHO. (2021). New policy brief calls on decision-makers to support patients as 1 in 10 report symptoms of “long COVID”. Retrieved November 21, 2021, from https://www.euro.who.int/en/health-topics/health-emergencies/pages/news/news/2021/02/new-policy-brief-calls-on-decision-makers-to-support-patients-as-1-in-10-report-symptoms-of-long-covid
  • Wolf, S., & Erdös, J. (2021). Long COVID care pathways: A systematic review. In Aihta projektbericht Nr.: 135b. HTA Austria – Austrian Institute for Health Technology Assessment GmbH.
  • Young, A. E., Roessler, R. T., Wasiak, R., McPherson, K. M., Van Poppel, M. N., & Anema, J. R. (2005). A developmental conceptualization of return to work. Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation, 15(4), 557–568. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10926-005-8034-z