Background: Vocational rehabilitation is important for supporting long-term sick-listed employees in returning to work or continuing in working life.
Objective: The aim of this study was to analyse self-confidence and hope for the future among people on sick leave in Norway who joined a self-help group, with a special focus on the importance of educational level.
Methods: 109 persons who completed a 20-week program at a rehabilitation centre in the middle of Norway during the years 2007-2012 answered questions related to the importance of emotions as either motivating or discouraging forces influencing the individual's return to work. The response rate was 52 percent.
Results: Eighty-five percent of participants who joined a self-help group stated that the group helped them to tackle everyday life better than before. Low-educated participants in the self-help group, to a greater extent than high-educated, stated that the self-help group had increased their self-confidence and hope for the future.
Discussion and conclusions: Most of those who participated in the self-help group stated that joining a group increased their self-confidence and hope for the future. Motivational factors, such as hope for the future and self-confidence, can be important factors in the rehabilitation process, as they can enhance sick people's motivation to participate in rehabilitation and re-think their future prospects of returning to work.
Keywords: Mental illness; psychological processes; vocational rehabilitation.