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The psychosocial work environment and musculoskeletal disorders: Design of a comprehensive interviewer-administered questionnaire

✍ Scribed by Reiner Rugulies; Jeffrey Braff; John W. Frank; Birgit Aust; Marion Gillen; Irene H. Yen; Rajiv Bhatia; Genevieve Ames; Deborah R. Gordon; Ira Janowitz; Doug Oman; Bradly P. Jacobs; Paul Blanc


Publisher
John Wiley and Sons
Year
2004
Tongue
English
Weight
142 KB
Volume
45
Category
Article
ISSN
0271-3586

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✦ Synopsis


Abstract

Background

Psychosocial working conditions are likely to contribute to work‐related musculoskeletal disorders (WRMSDs), but a lack of standardized measurement tools reflects both the theoretical and methodological limitations of current research.

Methods

An interdisciplinary team including biomedical, behavioral, and social science researchers used an iterative process to adapt existing instruments for an interviewer‐administered questionnaire assessing psychosocial workplace exposure related to musculoskeletal disorders.

Results

The resulting questionnaire included measures of psychosocial workplace factors based on two theoretical models (the demand‐control‐support and the effort‐reward imbalance models), supplemented by the additional constructs of “emotional demands,” and “experiences of discrimination.” Other psychosocial and physical measures selected for questionnaire inclusion address physical workload, sociodemographic and anthropometric characteristics, social relations and life events, health behaviors, and physical and psychological health.

Conclusion

Using an interdisciplinary approach facilitated the development of a comprehensive questionnaire inclusive of key measures of psychosocial factors that may play a role in the complex mechanisms leading to WRMSDs. Am. J. Ind. Med. 45:428–439, 2004. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.