Comparing time off work after work-related mental health conditions across Australian workers’ compensation systems: a retrospective cohort study

Workers’ compensation claims (WCC) due to mental health conditions (MHC) are the most expensive due to often lengthy periods off work. This retrospective cohort study aims to determine the factors associated with work time loss in Australian workers with accepted WCCs for MHCs, and investigate whether jurisdiction in which a claim is made affects work time loss, using administrative claims data between January 2010 and June 2011. Cox regression analysis showed that worker age, industry, occupation and type of MHC were associated with work time loss. Workers with depressive disorders had longer time loss than those with stress-related conditions. Workers from South Australia, Comcare and Victoria had the longest durations of work time loss, while Australian Capital Territory and Tasmania had shorter durations. Future research should investigate policy variations that could explain the differences in time spent on compensation between jurisdictions.