Ann Occup Environ Med.  2013 ;25(1):9.

Relationship between Occupational Stress and Work-related Musculoskeletal Disorders in Korean Male Firefighters

Affiliations
  • 1Department of Occupational & Environmental Medicine, Dongguk University, Gyeongju, South Korea.
  • 2Center for Occupational Disease Research, Occupational Safety and Health Research Institute, Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency, Incheon, South Korea. kobawoo@kosha.net
  • 3Department of Preventive Medicine, School of Medicine, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, South Korea.

Abstract


OBJECTIVES
A growing body of literature has documented that job stress is associated with the development of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs). However, the association of WMSDs with job stress has not yet been fully studied in Korean male firefighters. The purpose of this study was to determine the status of WMSDs in almost all Korean male firefighters and to clarify the effect of job stress on the occurrence of WMSDs.
METHODS
The study design was cross-sectional, and 21,466 firefighters were recruited. The study design included a structured questionnaire to assess general characteristics, the Korean Occupational Stress Scale (optional KOSS-26), Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression Scale (CES-D), and WMSDs. The chi-square test, and univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to look for a correlation between general characteristics and job stress, and the occurrence of WMSD.
RESULTS
Back pain is the most common WMSD. Among the job stress subgroup, physical environment, job demands, organizational system, occupational climate, lack of reward and job insecurity were related to the occurrence of WMSDs. However, insufficient job control and interpersonal conflict were not related to the occurrence of WMSDs.
CONCLUSION
Job stress was related to the occurrence of WMSDs in Korean male firefighters. To reduce the occurrence of WMSDs, a job stress management program may be required.

Keyword

Work-related musculoskeletal disorder; Firefighter; Job stress

MeSH Terms

Back Pain
Climate
Firefighters*
Humans
Logistic Models
Male*
Reward
Surveys and Questionnaires
Full Text Links
  • AOEM
Actions
Cited
CITED
export Copy
Close
Share
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
Similar articles
Copyright © 2024 by Korean Association of Medical Journal Editors. All rights reserved.     E-mail: koreamed@kamje.or.kr