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Expectancies mediate the relationship between perceived injustice and return to work following whiplash injury: A 1‐year prospective study
Author(s) -
Carriere J.S.,
Thibault P.,
Adams H.,
Milioto M.,
Ditto B.,
Sullivan M.J.L.
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
european journal of pain
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.305
H-Index - 109
eISSN - 1532-2149
pISSN - 1090-3801
DOI - 10.1002/ejp.1023
Subject(s) - injustice , whiplash , psychology , rehabilitation , psychological intervention , inhibition of return , intervention (counseling) , poison control , clinical psychology , medicine , social psychology , cognition , psychiatry , medical emergency , neuroscience , visual attention
Background Emerging evidence suggests that perceived injustice is a risk factor for work disability in individuals with whiplash injury. At present, however, little is known about the processes by which perceived injustice impacts on return to work. The purpose of this study was to examine whether expectancies mediated the relationship between perceived injustice and return to work in patients with whiplash injury. Method One hundred and fifty‐two individuals (81 men, 71 women) with a primary diagnosis of whiplash injury completed self‐report measures of pain intensity, perceived injustice and return‐to‐work expectancies following admission to a rehabilitation programme. Work status was assessed 1 year after discharge. Results Consistent with previous research, high scores on a measure of perceived injustice were associated with prolonged work disability. Results indicated that high perceptions of injustice were associated with low return‐to‐work expectancies. Causal mediation analyses revealed that expectancies fully mediated the relationship between perceived injustice and return to work. Conclusion The findings suggest that intervention techniques designed to target expectancies could improve return‐to‐work outcomes in patients with whiplash injury. Discussion addresses the processes by which expectancies might impact on return‐to‐work outcomes and the manner in which negative return‐to‐work expectancies might be modified through intervention. Significance The study confirms that expectancies are the mechanism through which perceived injustice impacts return to work following whiplash injury. The findings suggest that interventions designed to specifically target return‐to‐work expectancies might improve rehabilitation outcomes in patients with whiplash injury.