Journal article
Trajectory and Predictors of Return-to-Work Outcomes for People After a Road Traffic Injury: A Prospective Cohort Study
Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation, Vol.Advanced access
30-Apr-2026
PMID: 42060180
Abstract
Purpose
Identifying factors influencing work after road traffic injuries (RTI) is important for developing early and appropriate interventions. This study aimed to quantify vocational outcomes up to 12 months after RTIs; to explore Return-to-work (RTW) trajectories over this period; and to identify predictors of RTW status and disability days at baseline, 6-, and 12-month post-RTI.
Methods
Individuals aged 18 to 64 years with minor to serious musculoskeletal RTI presenting to two Australian public hospital emergency departments were recruited. Exclusions were severe injury and not being in paid employment pre-injury. Assessment occurred at baseline, six months, and 12 months post-RTI.
Results
Sixty-three participants completed the baseline survey. By 12 months, 88% had returned to work, mostly with work modifications, whilst 13% experienced at least one RTW failure. Mean disability days were 48 (SD = 93). Predictors of RTW at baseline were lower injury severity, less pain/disability, and younger age (R2 = 0.65, p < 0.05); at 6 months, being a casual/part-time employee (R2 = 0.2, p < 0.05) and at 12 months, higher pre-injury income (R2 = 0.25, p < 0.05). Predictors of more disability days at baseline included being male, hospital admission, greater injury severity, greater disability, lodging a compensation claim, and higher distress from intrusion (R2 = 0.53, p < 0.05); at 6 months, older age and lower RTW self-efficacy (R2 = 0.18, p < 0.05); and at 12 months, older age, lower level of education, greater injury severity, and casual/part-time pre-injury employment (R2 = 0.29, p < 0.05).
Conclusion
RTW after RTI is a dynamic, staged process. Early outcomes are primarily health-related, whereas 6–12-month outcomes are shaped by psychosocial factors. Sustained RTW often requires work modifications, underscoring the need for coordinated, systems-based rehabilitation strategies.
Details
- Title
- Trajectory and Predictors of Return-to-Work Outcomes for People After a Road Traffic Injury: A Prospective Cohort Study
- Authors
- Masoumeh Abedi (Corresponding Author) - University of the Sunshine CoastTammy Aplin - Griffith UniversityElise Gane - The University of QueenslandVenerina Johnston - University of Southern Queensland
- Publication details
- Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation, Vol.Advanced access
- Publisher
- Springer New York LLC
- DOI
- 10.1007/s10926-026-10380-0
- ISSN
- 1573-3688
- PMID
- 42060180
- Copyright note
- This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
- Data Availability
- No datasets were generated or analysed during the current study.
- Grant note
- The University of Queensland Research Training Scholarship, Motor Accident Insurance Commission.
- Organisation Unit
- Centre for Human Factors and Systems Science
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 991229330502621
- Output Type
- Journal article
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