Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2017 Nov;90(8):751-764.
doi: 10.1007/s00420-017-1236-9. Epub 2017 Jun 23.

Relations between work and upper extremity musculoskeletal problems (UEMSP) and the moderating role of psychosocial work factors on the relation between computer work and UEMSP

Nektaria Nicolakakis  1   2   3 , Susan R Stock  4   5   6   7 , Michal Abrahamowicz  8 , Rex Kline  9 , Karen Messing  1   10
Affiliations

Relations between work and upper extremity musculoskeletal problems (UEMSP) and the moderating role of psychosocial work factors on the relation between computer work and UEMSP

Nektaria Nicolakakis et al. Int Arch Occup Environ Health. 2017 Nov.

Abstract

Purpose: Computer work has been identified as a risk factor for upper extremity musculoskeletal problems (UEMSP). But few studies have investigated how psychosocial and organizational work factors affect this relation. Nor have gender differences in the relation between UEMSP and these work factors been studied. We sought to estimate: (1) the association between UEMSP and a range of physical, psychosocial and organizational work exposures, including the duration of computer work, and (2) the moderating effect of psychosocial work exposures on the relation between computer work and UEMSP.

Methods: Using 2007-2008 Québec survey data on 2478 workers, we carried out gender-stratified multivariable logistic regression modeling and two-way interaction analyses.

Results: In both genders, odds of UEMSP were higher with exposure to high physical work demands and emotionally demanding work. Additionally among women, UEMSP were associated with duration of occupational computer exposure, sexual harassment, tense situations when dealing with clients, high quantitative demands and lack of prospects for promotion, and among men, with low coworker support, episodes of unemployment, low job security and contradictory work demands. Among women, the effect of computer work on UEMSP was considerably increased in the presence of emotionally demanding work, and may also be moderated by low recognition at work, contradictory work demands, and low supervisor support.

Conclusions: These results suggest that the relations between UEMSP and computer work are moderated by psychosocial work exposures and that the relations between working conditions and UEMSP are somewhat different for each gender, highlighting the complexity of these relations and the importance of considering gender.

Keywords: Computer work; Moderating effects; Psychosocial work demands; Work-related upper extremity musculoskeletal disorders.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Occup Med (Lond). 2000 Nov;50(8):608-13 - PubMed
    1. Am J Public Health. 2014 Mar;104(3):e94-e101 - PubMed
    1. Scand J Work Environ Health. 2009 Mar;35(2):134-44 - PubMed
    1. Int Arch Occup Environ Health. 2009 May;82(6):689-702 - PubMed
    1. Am J Ind Med. 2002 Apr;41(4):221-35 - PubMed

MeSH terms

LinkOut - more resources