This study identifies health loss-related grief as a distinct psychological phenomenon among sick-listed employees. The association between health loss-related grief and pre-job loss grief suggests that employees may face interconnected emotional challenges during return-to-work. The HIGS provides rehabilitation professionals with a valid tool to identify grief reactions in return-to-work assessments, enabling recognition of employees who may require support that addresses both health-related and anticipated work-related losses.
Eersel et al. (2026) studied this question.