Neck and shoulder symptoms of high school students and associated psychosocial factors

The aim of this study was to describe the prevalence of neck and shoulder symptoms among high school students and associated psychosocial factors.

High school students (718) completed a questionnaire concerning neck and shoulder pain and psychosocial factors such as stress symptoms, depressive symptoms, and self-efficacy. A participant was classified into the "no disturbing symptoms" group or into the "disturbing symptoms" group according to the frequency of the neck and shoulder symptoms. The sum of mean scores of stress symptoms, depressive symptoms, and self-efficacy were compared between these groups.

Twenty-one percent of the girls and 10% of the boys suffered from disturbing neck and shoulder symptoms. Stress symptoms and depressive symptoms were more common among the girls than the boys. For both sexes, the sum of stress scores and those of depressive symptom scores were significantly higher in the "disturbing symptoms" group than the "no disturbing symptoms" group. Among the girls, the sum of the self-efficacy scores was lower in the "disturbing symptoms" group than in the "no disturbing symptoms" group.

Neck and shoulder symptoms are common among adolescents and psychosocial factors such as stress and depressive symptoms seem to be associated with these symptoms, especially among girls. More knowledge about the etiologic factors associated with neck and shoulder symptoms in adolescents may result in preventive programs with the potential for reducing morbidity of neck and shoulder symptoms in adulthood.