A Longitudinal Path-Analysis of the Reciprocal and Cyclical Relationships between Sickness Absence, Job Demands, Job Resources, and Burnout

Simon Gottenborg ^1,2 Thomas Hoff ^2,3 Svein Åge Kjøs Johnsen ¹ Leif Rydstedt ¹ Kjell Ivar Øvergård ^2,4*

• ¹ Department of Psychology, Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences, Elverum, Oppland, Norway
• ² EBHR AS, Oslo, Norway
• ³ Department of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Oslo, Norway
• ⁴ Department of Health-, Social-, and Welfare Studies, Faculty of Health and Social Sciences, University of South-Eastern Norway, Kongsberg, Norway

factors at Time 2 and Time 4. Sample: A total of 272 employees from several Norwegian organisations participated in the study. Results: The results provided evidence of a reciprocal longitudinal negative path coefficient between sickness and experienced job resources, while there was a small and non-significant positive path coefficient on job demands. Evidence of a cyclical reciprocal effect with a sickness absence -> job resources -> burnout -> sickness absence pathway was also found thus supporting the JD-R model's ability to predict sickness absenteeism. This implies that sickness absence may lead to an experienced loss of job resources which again exacerbates burnout thus resulting in sickness absence at a later point in time. Contribution: This paper contributes to psychological theory by adding knowledge of the longitudinal and reciprocal effects of sickness absence on the experience job characteristics, as well as adding to the longitudinal data base showing the longitudinal predictive effect of burnout on sickness absence.