Accepted for/Published in: JMIR Research Protocols
Date Submitted: May 27, 2026
Date Accepted: Oct 5, 2026
The impact of psychosocial aspects as risk factors for long-term illnesses in general practice: A scoping review protocol
ABSTRACT
Background:
Psychosocial risk factors increase the risk for long-term illnesses and for prolonged return-to-work processes with serious consequences for individuals as well as society. In general practice, psychosocial risk factors are captured comprehensively, because general practitioners usually care for patients for years and know the patient´s entire social environment. Numerous studies have been conducted on aspects of psychosocial risk factors. However, a comprehensive, unrestricted summary of psychosocial risk factors is currently lacking.
Objective:
The present review aims to address this gap by providing an overview of psychosocial risk factors with relevance for Western(-oriented) countries.
Methods:
This scoping review will be conducted in accordance with the methodology outlined in the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) Manual for Evidence Synthesis in a three-stage search strategy. Searched databases are Medline, the Cochrane Library, Embase and Web of Science. Each reference will be screened by two reviewers independently. The findings will be reported according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping reviews (PRISMA-ScR).
Results:
Literature search conducted September 8, 2025 resulted in 8,515 articles after deduplication, so title/abstract screening started September 10, 2025. We expect to identify various psychosocial aspects affecting long-term illnesses and return-to-work processes.
Conclusions:
Psychosocial risk factors play a significant role in the development of long-term illnesses and prolonged return-to-work processes. Evidence-based knowledge about comprehensive psychosocial risk factors will increase awareness of psychosocial aspects among physicians, treating patients with long-term illnesses. This will help to identify multidisciplinary prevention-strategies for patients with long-term illnesses and relieve return-to-work processes. Clinical Trial: This scoping review was registered on the Open Science Framework on June 27, 2025: https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/FSYM6. Clinical trial number: not applicable.
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