# Work participation, social roles, and empowerment of Q-fever fatigue syndrome patients ≥10 years after infection

## TL;DR

This study examines how Q-fever fatigue syndrome affects work, social roles, and empowerment in patients more than 10 years after infection.

## Contribution

The study provides new insights into the long-term impact of QFS on work participation and social roles, and its association with empowerment.

## Key findings

- Most QFS patients reduced or stopped working due to the condition.
- Participants spent significantly less time on social roles compared to before Q-fever.
- Higher empowerment scores were linked to better maintenance of social roles, but not work status.

## Abstract

To determine work participation, social roles, and empowerment of QFS patients ≥10-year after infection.

QFS patients ≥10-year after acute infection, who were of working age, participated in a cross-sectional survey study. Work participation, fulfilment of social roles, and empowerment outcomes were studied for the total population, as well as for subgroups based on employment type and current work status. Associations between empowerment, work and social roles were examined.

291 participants were included. Of the 250 participants who had paid work before Q-fever, 80.4% stopped working or worked less hours due to QFS. For each social role, more than half of the participants (56.6–87.8%) spent less time on the role compared to before Q-fever. The median empowerment score was 41.0 (IQR: 37.0–44.0) out of 60. A higher empowerment score was significantly associated with lower odds of performing all social roles less due to QFS (OR = 0.871–0.933; p<0.001–0.026), except for parenting and informal care provision (p = 0.070–0.460). No associations were found between empowerment and current work status.

Work participation and fulfilment of social roles is generally low in QFS patients. Many of the participants stopped working or are working less hours due to QFS, and most spent less time on social roles compared to before Q-fever. Minor variation was seen in total empowerment scores of participants; however, these slight differences were associated with the fulfilment of social roles, but not work participation. This new insight should be further explored in future studies.