2011 Using a psychosocial subgroup assignment to predict sickness absence in a working population with neck and back pain

Description: The overall objective was to evaluate the predictive validity of a subgroup classification based on the Swedish version of the MPI, the MPI-S, among gainfully employed workers with neck pain (NP) and/or low back pain (LBP) during a follow-up period of 18 and 36 months.
Conclusions The present study shows that this multidimensional approach to the classification of individuals based on psychological and psychosocial characteristics can distinguish different groups in gainfully employed working population with NP/LBP. The results in this study confirm the predictive validity of the MPI-S subgroup classification system.
Using a psychosocial subgroup assignment to predict sickness absence in a working population with neck and back pain. Cecilia Bergstrom , Jan Hagberg , Lennart Bodin , Irene Jensen and Gunnar Bergstrom BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders 2011, 12:81 (full text)