The Consequence of Combined Pain and Stress on Work Ability in Female Laboratory Technicians: A Cross-Sectional Study

The Effect of Stress of COVID-19 on Chinese Adults' Work-Family Conflict: Testing a Moderated Mediation Model

Purpose

The current study examined the effect of stress of COVID-19 on work-family conflict, how perceived work ability may mediate this effect, and lastly how perceived social support may moderate the various indirect pathway during COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods

A total of 2558 Chinese adults were recruited from the first author's university completed the questionnaire including stress of COVID-19 scale, work-family conflict, perceived social support and perceived work ability scale.

Results

The present study showed that stress of COVID-19 was positively associated with work-family conflict while negatively associated with perceived work ability, which in turn, was negatively associated with work-family conflict. Perceived social support magnified the effects of perceived work ability on work-family conflict.

Conclusion

Findings of this study shed light on a correlation between stress of COVID-19 and work-family conflict. Moreover, this study emphasizes the value of intervening individuals' perceived work ability and increasing the ability of perceived social support in the context of COVID-19.

Musculoskeletal symptoms, psychosocial factors and work ability in Brazilian labor justice workers

BACKGROUND

The implementation of the electronic judicial process (PJe) in recent years is associated with an increase in workload and stricter control through productivity targets in the Brazilian labor judiciary.

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate the relations between musculoskeletal symptoms, psychosocial factors and work ability in civil servants of a labor justice body in the context of the PJe.

METHODS

A cross-sectional exploratory study with a quantitative approach involving 449 workers. Sociodemographic, occupational and related data were collected through questionnaires validated in the Brazilian context. Data analysis was conducted by descriptive and inferential statistics: Mann-Whitney test, Spearman's correlation coefficient and multiple linear regression.

RESULTS

There was a correlation between musculoskeletal symptoms and psychosocial factors (p < 0.05), as well as between both musculoskeletal symptoms and psychosocial factors with reduced work ability (p < 0.05). The multiple linear regression model pointed to the female gender and the dimensions "demands", "control" and "peer support" as related to the musculoskeletal symptoms.

CONCLUSION

We highlight the importance of a broader approach, involving psychosocial factors in preventive actions related to musculoskeletal disorders considering the important relationship with work ability.

Evaluation of the Cervical Physiotherapeutic Treatment Needs, Work Ergonomics, and Necessity for Physical Activity Among Students of Dentistry at a Medical University. A Pilot Study

INTRODUCTION

A lot of general dental practitioners suffer from job-related health problems. They are more prone to numerous different physical and psycho-emotional triggers that aggravate their working conditions.

THE AIM

The aim of the study was to evaluate cervical physiotherapeutic treatment needs, daily ergonomic habits and the necessity for physical activity among students of dentistry at a medical university.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

112 generally healthy dentistry students (73 women, 39 men) were enrolled for the study. The age range was 20-32, with an average of 22.88 ± 2.7. The study included subjects in their second to fifth year of studies. The survey was conducted with respect to the questionnaires about possible physiotherapeutic treatments, physical activities, imaging tests and diagnoses as well as statements regarding the respondents' knowledge and ergonomics habits. To estimate the association between the risk factor and neck disability as well as chronic pain, the Neck Disability Index, Perceived Stress Scale and the Graded Chronic Pain Scale were additionally applied.

RESULTS

35.71% of dentistry students had undergo physiotherapy in the preceding year. 26.79% of the respondents declared that they underwent rehabilitation on a regular basis. The most common reasons for treatment were complaints of the cervical (7.14%), lumbar (3.57%), and thoracic spine (1.79%) as well as a combination of these symptoms. 6.25% of the subjects had started rehabilitation due to muscle relaxation. 34.82% of the study participants did not do any physical activity. Females exercised more often than males (p = 0.02; 1-β = 0.65). Therapeutic exercises contributed to the improvement of well-being of 56% of students. 64.29% of the respondents chose a sitting position during pre-clinical and clinical classes and 26.79% of the subjects worked in sitting and standing postures.

CONCLUSION

26.79% of dentistry students required periodic therapeutic rehabilitation. 34.82% of the respondents were advised to implement systematic physical activity. Due to professional conditions, dental students are exposed to an early cervical spine disorders. The main factor influencing an early onset of such dysfunctions is increased stress level. An average level of pro-health awareness may be the reason for elevated cost of rehabilitation among this group of patients.

Is low-back pain a limiting factor for senior workers with high physical work demands? A cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

Low-back pain (LBP) is highly prevalent among senior workers and may affect work ability, especially among those with hard physical work. This study determined the joint association of LBP intensity and physical work demands with work limitiations due to pain in senior workers.

METHODS

In the SeniorWorkingLife study (2018), 11,738 senior workers (≥50 years) replied to questions about physical work demands, LBP intensity, and work limitations due to pain. Using logistic regression analyses and controlling for potential confounders, associations between the physical work demands and LBP intensity (interaction) with work limitiations due to pain (outcome) was modeled.

RESULTS

Higher LBP intensity, as well as higher physical work demands, significantly increased the odds of experiencing work limitiations due to pain, and these two factors interacted with each other (p < 0.0001). In analyses stratified for LBP intensity, higher physical work demands gradually increased the odds of experiencing work limitiations due to pain.

CONCLUSIONS

Senior workers with a combination of physically demanding work and LBP are more affected by their pain during everyday work tasks compared to workers with similar LBP-intensity in sedentary occupations. Accommodation of work demands seems especially relevant for this group of workers.

Dose-response association between multi-site musculoskeletal pain and work ability in physical therapists: a cross-sectional study

PURPOSE

Multi-site musculoskeletal pain (MP) is common among health care professionals and is considered a threat to work ability and thereby a long and healthy working life. However, literature is scarce regarding these associations among physical therapists (PTs). This study aims to quantify the prevalence of local and multi-site MP among PTs, to investigate the associations between pain intensity and number of pain sites, respectively, with the level of work ability.

METHODS

We conducted a survey among 1006 PTs about pain the previous month in different body areas and work ability. Work ability was measured using the Work Ability Index (WAI) including its seven categories. The odds of having lower level of work ability as a function of pain intensity (0-10) and multi-site pain were determined using binary logistic regression controlled for relevant confounders.

RESULTS

The neck (36.3%) and the low back (32.3%) were the most commonly affected body areas. Furthermore, a dose-response relationship was observed between the number of pain sites and lower work ability (trend test, p < 0.001). With low pain intensity as reference, a moderate to strong association existed for lower levels of work ability in PTs who reported pain intensity of > 5 in one to two body regions (OR 2.14, 95% CI 1.27-3.60). This association was stronger when participants reported pain in three to four sites (OR 4.02, 95% CI 2.36-6.82) and even stronger when pain was experienced in five or more sites (OR 6.13, 95% CI 3.31-11.38).

CONCLUSIONS

Multi-site MP is strongly associated-in a dose-response fashion-with lower levels of work ability among PTs.

Organizational types in relation to exposure at work and sickness - a repeated cross-sectional study within public dentistry

Objective: Organizations and state agencies that provide dental care continuously face various and novel demands related to the need for dental care. However, rearrangements of work tasks by reducing the number of tasks performed by dental personnel might make the work more monotonous, repetitive, and static within an organization. The aim of this study is to compare how two dental work organizations, with different staffing and clinic size, are perceived by dental personnel focusing on physical and psychosocial conditions, leadership, work ability and presenteeism in 2012 and 2014.Material and Methods: This repeated cross-sectional study included personnel from the Public Dental Service in Sweden. There were 282 dentists, dental hygienists, and dental nurses who answered a questionnaire 2012 and 299 in 2014.Results and conclusion: In 2012, nine per cent of medium clinics reported poor leadership compared with 27% in 2014. For large clinics, 17% perceived poor leadership in 2012 compared with 31% in 2014. A higher proportion of the employees reported presenteeism due to high physical load (43%) and high psychosocial load (21%) in 2014 compared with 31% and 13% in 2012. These results indicate the need for work place interventions promoting health among dental employees.

Low back pain: critical assessment of various scales

PURPOSE

To study the various pain assessment tools based on their psychometric properties and ease of use.

METHODS

Published articles on psychometric properties of pain tools were accessed and data collected for low back pain (LBP)-specific tools, generic tools, neuropathic LBP tools, tools for cognitively impaired patients, and tools for acute LBP.

RESULTS

Among the LBP-specific tools, Roland Morris Disability Questionnaire (RMDQ) and Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) have good construct validity and reliability, and responsiveness over short intervals. Quebec Back Pain Disability Scale (QBPDS) gauges only disability and sleep. Among the generic tools, McGill Pain Questionnaire (MPQ), West Haven-Yale Multidimensional Pain Inventory (MPI), and Brief Pain Inventory (BPI) show good responsiveness, but BPI is the only tool validated for LBP. Neuropathic Pain Scale (NPS) and Short Form-MPQ-2 (SF-MPQ-2) are both reliable tools for neuropathic LBP. For cognitively impaired patients, Pain Assessment in Advanced Dementia (PAINAD), Abbey Pain Scale (APS), and Doloplus-2 are all reliable tools, but PAINAD has good construct validity. For acute pain, Clinically Aligned Pain Assessment (CAPA) is reliable and responsive, but presently, unidimensional tools and SF-MPQ-2 are the tools most preferred.

CONCLUSION

Based on psychometric properties and ease of use, the best tools for LBP seem to be RMDQ/ODI (among LBP-specific tools), BPI (among generic tools), SF-MPQ-2/NPS (for neuropathic LBP), PAINAD (for cognitively impaired patients), and unidimensional tools and SF-MPQ-2 (for acute pain). Overall, BPI seems to be a tool that can be relied upon the most. These slides can be retrieved under Electronic Supplementary Material.

Work ability and productivity among dentists: associations with musculoskeletal pain, stress, and sleep

Purpose

Work ability can be measured by the work ability index (WAI), and work-related questions measuring productivity loss in terms of quality and quantity of work. Dentists have high occupational risk of musculoskeletal pain and the exposure of ergonomic strain is already high during dental education. The aim was to evaluate work ability and productivity among dentists, and to identify gender differences and associations with sleep, stress, and reported frequent pain.

Methods

The study population comprised 187 dentists (123 women and 64 men) who had been working as dentists between 5 and 12 years. Participants completed a questionnaire regarding sleep, stress, presence of pain at different sites, work ability assessed by WAI, and productivity in terms of quality and quantity of work.

Results

Poor sleep quality and high level of stress were reported by 31% and 48.1% of participants, respectively, with no gender differences and no association with age. The prevalence of frequent pain ranged 6.4–46.5% with shoulders being the most prevalent site. Thirty-three percent reported reduced work ability. Poor sleep, high amount of stress, and multi-site pain were associated with decreased work ability.

Conclusions

A high prevalence of pain was shown among dentists. Decreased work ability in terms of productivity loss was associated with poor sleep quality, high amount of stress, and multi-site pain. Preventive actions at the workplace should promote good musculoskeletal health, and measures taken, both individual and organizational, to minimize the risk of high, persistent stress and work-related pain.

Monitoring Work Ability Index During a Two-Year Period Among Portuguese Municipality Workers

In Portugal, little is known about the work ability profiles of municipal workers and their changes during working life. In order to characterize and understand the changes in work ability among municipal workers, a prospective study was designed to begin in 2015 in the municipality of Sintra, in the surroundings of Lisbon, and to collect data every two years. The present paper aims at characterizing the changes in the work ability of those workers between 2015 and 2017 and to identify the main predictors. Data collection was based on a questionnaire that encompassed socio-demographic data, the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire II (COPSOQ II), the Nordic questionnaire adapted, and the Work Ability Index (WAI). In this two-year period, the work ability of municipal workers decreased and the main predictive factors were age, lower-back pain, negative health perception, the presence of burnout, and making manual efforts. Still, there were factors that act as positive predictors of an excellent work ability, such as having training in the previous two years, a good sense of community at work, and a favorable meaning of work. In summary, the intervention strategies in the work field should take into consideration the main predictors of work ability that are relevant for each organization.

Musculoskeletal pain in multiple body sites and work ability in the general working population: cross-sectional study among 10,000 wage earners

Background and aims Musculoskeletal pain may negatively affect work ability, especially when work demands are high and/or physical capacity of the worker is low. This study investigated the association between intensity of musculoskeletal pain in multiple body regions and work ability among young and old workers with sedentary and physical demanding jobs. Methods Currently employed wage earners (n=10,427) replied to questions about pain intensity, work ability, and physical work demands. The odds ratio (OR) for having a lower level of work ability in relation to the physical demands at work were modeled using logistic regression controlled for various confounders. Results The OR for lower work ability increased with higher pain intensity in all regions among workers with sedentary and physical work. The same pattern was observed among workers <50 years and ≥50 years in both work types. The association was quite consistent across age and work activity groups, although it tended to be more pronounced among those with physically demanding work in some of pain regions. Conclusions This study shows that increasing pain intensity in multiple sites of the body is associated with lower work ability. This was seen for both younger and older workers as well as those with sedentary and physical work. Implications Physical workers with multiple-site pain may especially be at increased risk of the consequences of reduced work ability. Therefore, extra attention is needed and this group may benefit from better targeted preventive measures.

Physical fitness and psycho-cognitive performance in the young and middle-aged workforce with primarily physical versus mental work demands

Aim

The purpose of this study was to examine physical fitness and psycho-cognitive performance and their associations in young and middle-aged workers with primarily physical versus mental work demands.

Subjects and methods

Healthy young and middle-aged workers (73 men, age = 33 ± 7 years; 75 women, age = 35 ± 9 years) were recruited from German small-to-medium-sized enterprises (< 250 employees) and classified into groups with primarily mental (MD) or physical demands (PD) at work. Participants were tested for cardiorespiratory fitness, trunk flexor/extensor muscular endurance, handgrip strength, balance, leg muscle power, perceived stress, cognitive performance, and work ability.

Results

Ninety-four workers were allocated to the MD (53% females) and 54 to the PD (46% females) groups. The MD group showed significantly better balance, trunk extensor muscular endurance, and cognitive performance (p < 0.035, 0.35 ≤ d ≤ 0.55) and less stress compared with the PD group (p < 0.023, d = 0.38). Group-specific Spearman rank correlation analysis (rS) revealed significant small-to-medium-sized correlations between physical fitness and cognitive performance (− 0.205 ≤ rS ≤ 0.434) in the MD and PD groups. Significant small-to-medium-sized correlations were found for physical fitness and stress/work ability (0.211 ≤ rS ≤ 0.301) in the MD group only. Further, associations of trunk extensor muscular endurance and work ability were significantly higher in the MD group (rS = 0.240) compared with the PD group (rS = − 0.141; z = 2.16, p = 0.031).

Conclusions

MD workers showed better physical fitness measures (balance, trunk extensor muscular endurance) and cognitive performance and lower levels of perceived stress compared with PD workers. Small-to-medium-sized associations between physical fitness and psycho-cognitive performance measures indicate that gains in physical fitness may at least partly contribute to psycho-cognitive performance and/or vice versa, particularly in MD workers.

Factors related to work ability and well-being among women on sick leave due to long-term pain in the neck/shoulders and/or back: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

Musculoskeletal pain is one of the leading causes of sick leave, especially among women, in Western countries. The aim of the present study was to identify factors associated with work ability and well-being, respectively, among women on sick leave due to long-term pain in the neck/shoulders and/or back.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study with a correlational design was conducted on women who were sick-listed due to long-term pain in the neck/shoulders and/or back. A total of 208 participants responded to a survey comprising eight instruments: Multidimensional Pain Inventory scale, General Self-Efficacy scale, Sense of Coherence scale, Coping Strategies Questionnaire, Demand-Control-Support Questionnaire, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, Work Ability Index and Life Satisfaction questionnaire. Multiple linear regression analyses were performed to identify factors associated with work ability and well-being, respectively.

RESULTS

Women who more strongly believed they would return to the same work had greater work ability (β = 0.39, p < 0.001), whereas women with higher pain intensity (β = - 0.30, p < 0.001) and higher job strain (β = - 0.12, p < 0.05) had lower work ability. Women with higher self-efficacy rated greater well-being (β = 0.14, p < 0.05). As the women's scores for depression increased, their well-being decreased by 48%, which was statistically significant (p < 0.001). The regression models for work ability and well-being were significant (p < 0.001), and their adjusted R- square values were 48% and 59%, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

The study suggests that the factors beliefs to be back at the same work, pain intensity and job strain are predictive of work ability. Moreover, the factors self-efficacy and depression seem to be predictive of well-being. The findings highlight factors that should be considered by health care professionals and policy-makers to guide attempts to reduce sick leave.

Impact of Workplace Exposure and Stress on Neck Pain and Disabilities in Women-A Longitudinal Follow-up After a Rehabilitation Intervention

Introduction

The aim was to evaluate if pain, disability, and work productivity are influenced by physical and psychosocial work exposures as well as by stress, up to 1 year after a randomized controlled trial treatment intervention, and to determine whether any such association differed between treatment and control groups.

Methods

Ninety-seven working women suffering non-specific neck pain (n = 67 treatment group, n = 30 control group) were followed from end of treatment intervention and at 9- and 15-month follow-ups, respectively. Physical and psychosocial exposures, as well as perceived stress, were assessed after the treatment intervention. Pain, neck disability, and work productivity were assessed at baseline, after intervention 3 months later and at 9- and 15-month follow-ups. Longitudinal assessment was conducted using the exposure level at 3 months as predictor of pain, disability, and work productivity at 3, 9, and 15 months, respectively. Mixed models were used to estimate longitudinal associations, accounting for within-individual correlation of repeated outcome measures by incorporation of a random intercept. Age and duration of neck pain were adjusted for in all models. To evaluate group differences, interactions between exposures and treatment groups were estimated.

Results

High perceived stress was associated with more neck pain, more neck disability, and decreased work productivity in both cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses. High 'control of decision' was associated with less neck pain, less neck disability, and higher work productivity in cross-sectional analyses but only to less disability and higher productivity in longitudinal analyses. Shoulder/arm load was the only physical exposure variable that was significantly associated with work productivity in the univariate analyses. Only small differences were observed between treatment and control groups.

Conclusion

High perceived stress and low 'control of decision' were associated with more neck pain, increased neck disability, and decreased work productivity. Treatment interventions for individuals with neck pain should take into account psychosocial workplace exposures and stress to improve intermediate and long-term results.

Can high social capital at the workplace buffer against stress and musculoskeletal pain?: Cross-sectional study

Work-related musculoskeletal pain and stress are both highly prevalent in the working environment and relate well to the biopsychosocial model. While the onset of musculoskeletal pain is often dependent on the biological element of the biopsychosocial model, chronic pain is often influenced by psychological and social factors. Similarly, stress is also influenced by biological, psychological, and social factors. This study investigates the possibility of social capital being a buffer for stress and musculoskeletal pain in a group of female laboratory technicians.Female laboratory technicians (n = 500) replied to questions about stress (Cohens Perceived Stress Scale-10), musculoskeletal pain (0-10 visual analog scale), and social capital at the workplace (bonding [in teams], bridging [between teams], and linking [between teams and leaders]). Outcome variables were stress and musculoskeletal pain and the predictor variable was social capital. General linear models tested the association of the 3 types of social capital (predictor variables) with stress and pain (mutually adjusted outcome variables). Analyses were controlled for age, lifestyle (body mass index, smoking), seniority, and working hours per week.For stress as outcome, moderate and high bonding social capital were different from low social capital with -2.04 (95% confidence interval [CI] -3.33 to -0.76) and -4.56 (95% CI -5.84 to -3.28) points on the Perceived Stress Scale of 0 to 42, respectively. Similarly, moderate and high bridging social capital were different from low social capital with -1.50 (95% CI -2.76 to -0.24) and -4.39 (95% CI -5.75 to -3.03), respectively. For linking, only high social was significantly different from low with -2.94 (95% CI -4.28 to -1.60). None of the 3 types of social capital was associated with musculoskeletal pain.Higher levels of social capital at the workplace appear to buffer against stress, but not against musculoskeletal pain. Intervention studies should investigate whether improving bonding, bridging, and linking social capital at the workplace may be a viable strategy to prevent or reduce work-related stress.

Work ability, effort-reward imbalance and disability pension claims

Background

Effort-reward imbalance (ERI) and self-rated work ability are known independent correlates and predictors of intended disability pension claims. However, little research has focused on the interrelationship between the three and whether self-rated work ability mediates the relationship between ERI and intended disability pension claims.

Aims

To investigate whether self-rated work ability mediates the association between ERI and intended disability pension claims.

Methods

Baseline data from participants of the Third German Sociomedical Panel of Employees, a 5-year cohort study that investigates determinants of work ability, rehabilitation utilization and disability pensions in employees who have previously received sickness benefits, were analysed. We tested direct associations between ERI with intended disability pension claims (Model 1) and self-rated work ability (Model 2). Additionally, we tested whether work ability mediates the association between ERI and intended disability pension claims (Model 3).

Results

There were 2585 participants. Model 1 indicated a significant association between ERI and intended disability pension claims. Model 2 showed a significant association between ERI and self-rated work ability. The mediation in Model 3 revealed a significant indirect association between ERI and intended disability pension claims via self-rated work ability. There was no significant direct association between ERI and intended disability pension claims.

Conclusions

Our results support the adverse health-related impact of ERI on self-rated work ability and intended disability pension claims.

Ten weeks of physical-cognitive-mindfulness training reduces fear-avoidance beliefs about work-related activity: Randomized controlled trial

People with chronic musculoskeletal pain often experience pain-related fear of movement and avoidance behavior. The Fear-Avoidance model proposes a possible mechanism at least partly explaining the development and maintenance of chronic pain. People who interpret pain during movement as being potentially harmful to the organism may initiate a vicious behavioral cycle by generating pain-related fear of movement accompanied by avoidance behavior and hyper-vigilance.This study investigates whether an individually adapted multifactorial approach comprised of biopsychosocial elements, with a focus on physical exercise, mindfulness, and education on pain and behavior, can decrease work-related fear-avoidance beliefs.As part of a large scale 10-week worksite randomized controlled intervention trial focusing on company initiatives to combat work-related musculoskeletal pain and stress, we evaluated fear-avoidance behavior in 112 female laboratory technicians with chronic neck, shoulder, upper back, lower back, elbow, and hand/wrist pain using the Fear-Avoidance Beliefs Questionnaire at baseline, before group allocation, and again at the post intervention follow-up 10 weeks later.A significant group by time interaction was observed (P < 0.05) for work-related fear-avoidance beliefs. The between-group difference at follow-up was -2.2 (-4.0 to -0.5), corresponding to a small to medium effect size (Cohen's d = 0.30).Our study shows that work-related, but not leisure time activity-related, fear-avoidance beliefs, as assessed by the Fear-avoidance Beliefs Questionnaire, can be significantly reduced by 10 weeks of physical-cognitive-mindfulness training in female laboratory technicians with chronic pain.