Job Stress and its Relationship with the Musculoskeletal Disorders among Office Workers of Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Iran

Background and Purpose: Job stress is an important psychological factor. Musculoskeletal disorders are among the most common causes of disability in industrialized and developing countries. Therefore, this study aimed to assess job stress and its relationship with the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders in office workers of Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Iran. Materials and Methods: A total of 234 office workers from Zahedan University of Medical Sciences were selected by census sampling. Data were collected using the Health and Safety Executive’s Management Standards Indicator Tool and the Cornell Musculoskeletal Discomfort Questionnaire. Pearson’s correlation coefficients, independent t-test, analysis of variance, and chi-square tests were performed to analyze the data. Results: The mean age and work experience of the participants were 35.25 ± 8.37 and 9.20 ± 2.64 years, respectively. The mean stress scores of men and women were 95.6 ± 13.1 and 95.2 ± 14.8, respectively. Stress showed a significant relationship with pain intensity in the middle and lower back, shoulders, and wrists. It was also significantly related with the frequency of pain in the neck, upper back, middle back, lower back, (left) shoulder, and both wrists (P ≤ 0.050). Conclusion: There were significant relationships between stress and pain in different parts of the body among office workers. In fact, high levels of stress were associated with musculoskeletal disorders and pain in different limbs of the subjects. Hence, stress reduction programs should be implemented to control the levels of stress and the incidence of musculoskeletal disorders among the studied workers.