Absenteeism and indirect costs for mental disorders in the Brazilian federal public service

Abstract

Objective: This research aims to estimate the indirect economic costs resulting from DM among federal civil servants, between January 2012 and December 2017. Methods: This is an ecological study, with a retrospective longitudinal design and exploratory character. The Human Capital Approach was used to calculate the indirect cost. Results: DM were responsible for 5.664.800 days of leave granted throughout the period, resulting in an estimated indirect cost of R$ 1.889.554.416,60, of which mood and anxiety disorders represented the highest costs. Conclusions: This study demonstrated the relevance of DM for this community of servers, as well as revealed the dimension of the economic impacts resulting from absenteeism, which can enable management bodies and professionals involved in the health of the federal public servant to better understand the costs of DM, directing them to the planning of the most appropriate interventions.