Author	F. Alkaabi
Author	J. Head
Author	J. Mindell
Author	M. Shipley
Abstract	Aims: To evaluate the influence of psychological and physical exposures, as well as employees' perception of occupational health and safety management system, on the risk of sickness absence and early retirement intentions. The thesis also evaluates the relationship between sickness absence and early retirement intentions and disability retirement. Methods: Two systematic literature reviews were conducted; one of studies on sickness absence in the police and the second evaluated all studies examining sickness absence and disability retirement. A case control study investigated the association between sickness absence and disability retirement using data from the Abu Dhabi Police. In a second study, the first Arabic version of the Karasek's Job Content Questionnaire (the Arabic JCQ) was developed and a linguistic and psychometrical validation was carried out. A cross-sectional survey of 1,317 employees of the Abu Dhabi Police was conducted in a third study. Results: In the case control study, sickness absence, defined using various measures, was a predictor of disability retirement. Psychometric testing of the Arabic JCQ was generally comparable with other studies. The cross-sectional survey was completed by 760 officers (58% response rate). Work factors in general were not associated with sickness absence while officers with low workplace support, unfavourable perception of the health and safety management systems and high exposure to physical work factors had higher risk of early retirement intentions. There was a significant increase in the risk of early retirement intention in officers with ≥4 days of sickness absence compared with those without any sickness absence. Conclusion: Monitoring sickness absence data may help in minimizing disability retirement and early retirement in general (through reducing early retirement intentions). The policing culture may discourage officers from taking sick leave and reporting problems at work which in turn, may result in shifting the consequences of work problems to private life and may encourage presenteeism.