Abstract
BackgroundMusculoskeletal symptoms often occur in more than one anatomical site. The present study aimed to define specific patterns of multisite musculoskeletal disorders and examine how these patterns are related to common psychological problems.MethodsUsing the data from an interview-based health survey of 358 samples of the industrial manufacturing male employees, we derived major patterns of musculoskeletal complaints using latent class analysis and investigated its association with psychological problems score extracted from depression, anxiety, and stress measured by Depression/Anxiety/Stress Scale (DASS-21). Musculoskeletal disorders were assessed by Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (NMQ). The statistical analysis was carried out by Mplus 8.ResultsComplaints in the lower back (42.1%) and neck (30.7%) had the highest prevalence, and in the hip (15.0%) and ankle (12.2%) the lowest. Three major patterns of musculoskeletal disorders were extracted using latent class analysis. Class 1 (12.9%) was characterized by a high rate of complaints in upper musculoskeletal sites, such as the neck, shoulder, and joints; class 2 (38.2%) was identified by a higher rate of complaints in the lower and upper back; and class 3 (48.9%) was marked by low rates of complaints in all musculoskeletal sites. After adjustment for confounding variables and specifying class 3 as the reference, it turned out that there was a statistically significant association between the psychological problems score and the chance of being in class 1 (OR = 2.47, 95% CI 1.66–3.68), but not a significant association with the chance of being in class 2 (OR = 1.51, 95% CI 0.83–2.72).ConclusionMusculoskeletal disorders can be summarized in the latent class-derived patterns in the adult study population and provide additional prognostics. Common psychological problems are significantly associated with the type of musculoskeletal disorder patterns. The findings in this study could be useful for dealing with prevention and treatment programs.
Highlights
Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are a common problem in the general population [1]
Remarkable that the majority of available researches have evaluated MSDs as site specific, but recent studies have emphasized on a multisite investigation of MSDs in the working [6,7,8,9,10] and general population [11,12,13,14], indicating the moderate prevalence of symptoms strictly confined to a specific anatomical site and the noticeable prevalence of multisite symptoms
Anxiety, and depression were discovered to be high in 2.8%, 17.8%, and 2.8% of participants, respectively
Summary
Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are a common problem in the general population [1]. MSDs are defined as a feeling of discomfort, difficulty, or pain in the musculoskeletal system (joints, muscles, tendons) or soft tissues of the body. MSDs are considered as the most important cause of occupational injury and disability in the world and the main cause of absenteeism [4, 5] It is, remarkable that the majority of available researches have evaluated MSDs as site specific, but recent studies have emphasized on a multisite investigation of MSDs in the working [6,7,8,9,10] and general population [11,12,13,14], indicating the moderate prevalence of symptoms strictly confined to a specific anatomical site (estimated prevalence of 15–30% in different studies) and the noticeable prevalence of multisite symptoms (estimated prevalence of one third and two thirds in the general and working population, respectively). The present study aimed to define specific patterns of multisite musculoskeletal disorders and examine how these patterns are related to common psychological problems
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