Effect of Back Pain on Occupational Stress among White-collar Workers

Introduction and The prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders in stressful jobs is very high. The people suffering from these disorders have low decision-making ability and perceived social support, while they have high physical and psychological job requirements. Regarding this, the present study was conducted with the aim of investigating the effect of waist and back pain on occupational stress.
This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on 89 employees of Abadan Ports and Marine Administration in 2016. The study population was selected through random sampling method. The data were collected using Health and Safety Executive Management Standards Indicator and Body Discomfort Chart. Data analysis was performed using descriptive (i.e., frequency andpercentage) and inferential statistics (i.e., t-test) in SPSS version 18.
According to the findings, 50% and 31% of the participants had experienced waist and back pain, respectively. The highest and lowest stress levels in this study were related to role (77%) and communication (2.32%), respectively. The results of the t-test revealed a significant difference between the people with waist pain and those without such pain in terms of peer support, role, communication, and variations (P As the findings of the present study indicated, back pain and stress had high prevalence among the white-collar workers. Back pain can be an effective factor on the stress level of the office workers.