The association between work-related physical and psychosocial factors and musculoskeletal disorders in healthcare workers: Moderating role of fear of movement

Abstract

Objectives Knowledge is lacking on the interaction between fear of movement (FOM) and work‐related physical and psychosocial factors in the development and persistence of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). Methods In this cross‐sectional study, 305 healthcare workers from several Belgian hospitals filled out a questionnaire including sociodemographic factors, work‐related factors (social support, autonomy at work, workload, and physical job demands), FOM, and MSDs for different body regions during the past year. Path analysis was performed to investigate (1) the association between the work‐related factors, FOM and MSDs, and (2) the moderating role of FOM on the association between the work‐related factors and MSDs among healthcare workers. Results Complaints were most frequently located at the neck–shoulder region (79.5%) and lower back (72.4%). Physical job demands (odds ratio [OR] 2.38 and 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.52–3.74), autonomy at work (OR 1.64 CI [1.07–2.49]) and FOM (OR 1.07 CI [1.01–1.14] and OR 1.12 CI [1.06–1.19]) were positively associated with MSDs. Healthcare workers who experienced high social support at work (OR 0.61 CI [0.39–0.94]) were less likely to have MSDs. Fear of movement interacted negatively with workload (OR 0.92 CI [0.87–0.97]) and autonomy at work (OR 0.94 CI [0.88–1.00]) on MSDs. Conclusions Work‐related physical and psychosocial factors as well as FOM are related to MSDs in healthcare workers. FOM is an important moderator of this relationship and should be assessed in healthcare workers in addition to work‐related physical and psychosocial factors to prevent or address MSDs.

Psychosocial Factors and Musculoskeletal Symptoms in Office Workers: Validating the Maastricht Upper Extremity Questionnaire

“…Recent studies show that many office workers are exposed to problems related to CANS. For example, the frequency of these complaints has been estimated at 42% to 83.5% for neck pain, 40% to 62.3% for shoulder pain, and 13.9% for wrist pain ( 3 , 12 ). Within Iran, studies have demonstrated a heightened susceptibility of office workers to musculoskeletal disorders.…”

Risk Factor Analysis of Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSDS) in Woman Shellfish Peeler (Geloina Erosa) in Pantai Cermin District

“…Biomechanical risk factors include uncomfortable posture, carrying large items, and repetitive activities (Tang et al, 2022). Psychosocial risk factors include psychological suffering, insufficient social support, and limited decision-making authority (Keyaerts et al, 2022). Social factors include culture, beliefs, and cultural beliefs Keyaerts (2022), and individual characteristics consist of things like body mass index, age, gender, lifestyle, and living environment (Svensson et al, 2020).…”

“…Psychosocial risk factors include psychological suffering, insufficient social support, and limited decision-making authority (Keyaerts et al, 2022). Social factors include culture, beliefs, and cultural beliefs Keyaerts (2022), and individual characteristics consist of things like body mass index, age, gender, lifestyle, and living environment (Svensson et al, 2020). Given the influence of various risk factors on the incidence of MSDs, the implementation of prevention and control programs and measures requires the simultaneous identification and control of a series of risk factors (Tang et al, 2022) Some studies explain that Age, Length of work, Length of work, Gender, Workload, Repetition, Psychosocial factors, Work posture, Work climate, Stress, Body mass Index, Exercise frequency, History of muscle complaints, Education Anxiety, Fear, charity, company size, duration of work can be a risk factor for occurrence Muscoloskelatal Disorders (MSDs) (Shobur et al, 2019).…”

Musculoskeletal pain among medical residents: role of workplace safety climate and sexual harassment

“…Various workplace risk factors have been implicated in the occurrence of musculoskeletal pain among healthcare workers. These include ergonomic factors and physical job demands [6,7], long working hours and night shifts [8], psychosocial and emotional burdens of the profession [3] and perceptions about workplace support [7]. A recent study conducted in Egypt found the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders among physicians to be as high as 74% [9].…”