Elpidoforos S Soteriades1, Lilia Psalta2, Stavroula Leka3, George Spanoudis4. 1. American Medical Center, Nicosia, Cyprus (Department of Occupational Medicine). esoteria@hsph.harvard.edu. 2. University of Cyprus, Nicosia, Cyprus (Department of Psychology). liliapsalta@gmail.com. 3. University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK (School of Medicine, Division of Psychiatry and Applied Psychology, Centre for Organizational Health and Development). Stavroula.Leka@nottingham.ac.uk. 4. University of Cyprus, Nicosia, Cyprus (Department of Psychology). spanoud@ucy.ac.cy.
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential association between occupational stress and musculoskeletal symptoms in firefighters. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Data were collected among Cypriot firefighters through a battery of adapted questionnaires completed anonymously. RESULTS: A total of 430 firefighters (a response rate of 68%) completed the survey (the age range: 21-60 years). A total of 11% of firefighters reported moderate to extremely severe stress through the <i>Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire</i> and <i>Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale</i>. A total of 40% of firefighters reported musculoskeletal symptoms, the most frequent being back pain. Multivariable-adjusted logistic regression models showed that occupational stress was associated with a 50% higher risk of musculoskeletal symptoms in firefighters after adjusting for age, smoking and obesity (OR = 1.52, p = 0.04). In addition, a positive dose-response relationship was found between occupational stress and musculoskeletal symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: Occupational stress constitutes a significant risk for firefighters and is associated with higher prevalence of musculoskeletal symptoms at work. Int J Occup Med Environ Health. 2019;32(3):341-52. This work is available in Open Access model and licensed under a CC BY-NC 3.0 PL license.
OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential association between occupational stress and musculoskeletal symptoms in firefighters. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Data were collected among Cypriot firefighters through a battery of adapted questionnaires completed anonymously. RESULTS: A total of 430 firefighters (a response rate of 68%) completed the survey (the age range: 21-60 years). A total of 11% of firefighters reported moderate to extremely severe stress through the <i>Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire</i> and <i>Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale</i>. A total of 40% of firefighters reported musculoskeletal symptoms, the most frequent being back pain. Multivariable-adjusted logistic regression models showed that occupational stress was associated with a 50% higher risk of musculoskeletal symptoms in firefighters after adjusting for age, smoking and obesity (OR = 1.52, p = 0.04). In addition, a positive dose-response relationship was found between occupational stress and musculoskeletal symptoms. CONCLUSIONS:Occupational stress constitutes a significant risk for firefighters and is associated with higher prevalence of musculoskeletal symptoms at work. Int J Occup Med Environ Health. 2019;32(3):341-52. This work is available in Open Access model and licensed under a CC BY-NC 3.0 PL license.
Authors: Gintarė Kalinienė; Dalia Lukšienė; Rūta Ustinavičienė; Lina Škėmienė; Vidmantas Januškevičius Journal: Int J Environ Res Public Health Date: 2021-05-24 Impact factor: 3.390