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Associations between psychosocial risk factors and musculoskeletal disorders: application to the IT profession in India

Issue title: IEA 2012: 18th World congress on Ergonomics - Designing a sustainable future

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Mehta, Ranjana K. | Parijat, Prakriti

Affiliations: Departments of Cognitive and Learning Sciences and Kinesiology and Integrative Physiology, Michigan Technological University, 1400 Townsend Drive, Houghton, MI, USA | Human Factors International, India

Note: [] Corresponding author. E-mail: [email protected]

Keywords: psychosocial risk factors, musculoskeletal pain, information technology, social support

DOI: 10.3233/WOR-2012-0477-2438

Journal: Work, vol. 41, no. Supplement 1, pp. 2438-2444, 2012

Published: 2012
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Abstract

The exponential growth of the information technology (IT) industry in India has been accompanied with a substantial increase in the reporting of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs). The purpose of the current study was to identify and assess the contributions of prevalent psychosocial factors on perceived WMSD outcomes among IT professionals from India. About 77 IT professionals from India completed a survey set consisting of 26 question items from the Job Content Questionnaire and 3 separate question items pertaining to WMSD outcomes (pain/discomfort and psychological stress scores). The findings suggest prevalence of existing pain (shoulder/neck and low back) in more than one-fourth of the respondents. Additionally two-thirds of the respondents had never had any ergonomics awareness training. Co-worker support and psychological work demands were found to be the strongest contributors of psychosocial risk factors towards pain/discomfort and psychological stress outcomes. Findings from this study highlight the influence of certain psychosocial traits of the Indian IT workplace on perceived WMSD outcomes. There is a need to develop and implement intervention strategies to address these factors that may help lower the risk of work-related musculoskeletal pain.

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