Relationship between psychosocial risk factors at work and musculoskeletal symptoms in university professors

Musculoskeletal disorders are prevalent among university professors. With the expansion of private higher education and the increasing demands on academic staff, psychosocial risk factors may exacerbate these conditions beyond ergonomic challenges.

To investigate the relationship between psychosocial risk factors and musculoskeletal symptoms among university professors in the private sector.

This quantitative, cross-sectional, and correlational study involved 122 university professors. Data were collected using the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire and the Scale for Evaluating Psychosocial Stressors in the Workplace. Analyses included descriptive statistics, point-biserial correlations, and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) to assess latent relationships between psychosocial factors and musculoskeletal outcomes.

The structural model demonstrated an adequate fit to the data (χ² _[38] = 58.590; p = 0.05124; comparative fit index = 0.98; Tucker-Lewis index = 0.97; standardized root mean square residual = 0.08; root mean square error of approximation = 0.06 [95%CI 0.02-0.06]), confirming a significant association between psychosocial factors and musculoskeletal symptoms. Psychosocial risk factors contributed to the occurrence of musculoskeletal symptoms in the past 12 months (β = 0.40; p < 0.001), work impairments (β = 0.34; p = 0.001), recent symptoms (β = 0.32; p < 0.001), and health care-seeking behavior (β = 0.52; p < 0.001). The most influential factors were job insecurity, work-family conflict, and role overload.

Psychosocial factors in academic work significantly impact the manifestation of musculoskeletal symptoms and their functional consequences. Managing these factors is essential for preventing and mitigating their effects on faculty health.