Abstract
ABSTRACT Objective: to assess the association between the presence of perceived stress and reports of musculoskeletal pain among undergraduate health students. Method: a cross-sectional study carried out with undergraduate health students (Nursing, Pharmacy, Physiotherapy, Speech Therapy, Medicine, Occupational Therapy, and Dentistry) in a public university of southern Brazil. Data collection took place in the period from April to June 2017. An instrument with sociodemographic, habits, health profile, and academic variables was used; as well as the Brazilian version of the Standardized Nordic Questionnaire and the Perceived Stress Scale. Descriptive and inferential statistics were employed for the analysis. Results: a total of 792 students took part in the study. The students with a high stress level presented more chances for the occurrence of musculoskeletal pain in the vertebral column region (OR=2.92; 95% CI=1.30-6.55), upper limbs (OR=3.27; 95% CI=1.80-5.92) and lower limbs (OR=3.10; 95% CI=1.81-5.29). The variables “not having time for leisure” and “sometimes having time for leisure” presented higher chances of pain in the vertebral column region (OR=2.92; 95% CI=1.30-6.55), upper limbs (OR=3.27; 95% CI=1.80-5.92) and lower limbs (OR=3.10; 95% CI=1.81-5.29). The variables “not having time for leisure” and “sometimes having time for leisure” presented higher chances of pain in the vertebral (OR=3.11; 95% CI=1.84-5.25), Occupational Therapy (OR=2.57; IC95%=1,51-4,38) and Physiotherapy (OR=1.82; 95% CI=1.00-3.31) and being overweight (OR=1.59; 95% CI=1.09-2.31) presented higher chances of pain in the lower limbs. Conclusion: the association between perceived stress and the occurrence of musculoskeletal pain among the students was evidenced, revealing the importance of implementing programs aiming at the students’ health.
Highlights
The current way of life establishes various pressures and instabilities in people’s daily lives, requiring from them adaptations to daily situations that can result in transformations, which can lead to the development of stress[1]
A total of 792 students participated in the study, namely: 192 (24.2%) from the Medicine course, 143 (18.1%) from Dentistry, 117 (14.8%) from Nursing, 105 (13.3%) from Pharmacy, 102 (12.9%) from Occupational Therapy, 70 (8.8%) from Physiotherapy, and 63 (8%) from Speech Therapy
The questions “Have you felt nervous or ‘stressed out’?” (2.72±1.01) and “Have you caught yourself thinking about the things you had to do?” (3.22±0.88) were the ones that presented the highest prevalence of affirmative answers, 34.1% and 46.2%, respectively
Summary
The current way of life establishes various pressures and instabilities in people’s daily lives, requiring from them adaptations to daily situations that can result in transformations, which can lead to the development of stress[1]. Stress is considered a manifestation that happens when an event goes beyond the adaptation sources of the individuals’ physiological or psychological, whether in the cognitive, emotional, or behavioral aspects, exposing them to risk situations for impairment in their health[2]. In this perspective, the academic training of future professionals has shown to be stressful, especially among the health students[3,4]. The academic training of future professionals has shown to be stressful, especially among the health students[3,4] They are not considered workers, the activities they perform can be considered as pre-professional[4]. The following stand out: distance from family, home, and friends, changes in the daily routine, assuming financial responsibilities, need for organizations, adjusting to a new teaching methodology, high hour loads of curricular activities, demands and new professional perspectives, among others[3]
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