Perceived work stress, overcommitment, and self-reported musculoskeletal pain: a cross-sectional investigation

The objective of this study was to analyze associations of three indicators of perceived work stress (physical job demand, low control at work, and an imbalance between effort and reward), and of overcommitment, a personal pattern of coping with work demands, with musculoskeletal pain. A standardized questionnaire measuring these conditions in addition to self-reported musculoskeletal pain at different locations was administered to a group of 316 male and female employees of a public transport enterprise. After we adjusted for confounding effects of age, sex, socioeconomic status, shift work, and negative affectivity, we observed elevated prevalence odds ratios in employees who scored high on overcommitment, who were exposed to physical job demand, and, to a lesser extent, who reported psychosocial work stress. Results have implications for a more comprehensive approach to primary and secondary prevention of musculoskeletal pain.