Premium
The psychosocial work environment and musculoskeletal disorders: Design of a comprehensive interviewer‐administered questionnaire
Author(s) -
Rugulies Reiner,
Braff Jeffrey,
Frank John W.,
Aust Birgit,
Gillen Marion,
Yen Irene H.,
Bhatia Rajiv,
Ames Genevieve,
Gordon Deborah R.,
Janowitz Ira,
Oman Doug,
Jacobs Bradly P.,
Blanc Paul
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
american journal of industrial medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.7
H-Index - 104
eISSN - 1097-0274
pISSN - 0271-3586
DOI - 10.1002/ajim.20009
Subject(s) - psychosocial , interview , medicine , workload , inclusion (mineral) , applied psychology , clinical psychology , psychology , psychiatry , social psychology , political science , computer science , law , operating system
Background Psychosocial working conditions are likely to contribute to work‐related musculoskeletal disorders (WRMSDs), but a lack of standardized measurement tools reflects both the theoretical and methodological limitations of current research. Methods An interdisciplinary team including biomedical, behavioral, and social science researchers used an iterative process to adapt existing instruments for an interviewer‐administered questionnaire assessing psychosocial workplace exposure related to musculoskeletal disorders. Results The resulting questionnaire included measures of psychosocial workplace factors based on two theoretical models (the demand‐control‐support and the effort‐reward imbalance models), supplemented by the additional constructs of “emotional demands,” and “experiences of discrimination.” Other psychosocial and physical measures selected for questionnaire inclusion address physical workload, sociodemographic and anthropometric characteristics, social relations and life events, health behaviors, and physical and psychological health. Conclusion Using an interdisciplinary approach facilitated the development of a comprehensive questionnaire inclusive of key measures of psychosocial factors that may play a role in the complex mechanisms leading to WRMSDs. Am. J. Ind. Med. 45:428–439, 2004. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.