Disclosure Statement: Dr. Hashimoto is employed by Partners HealthCare System, and the two studied hospitals are Partners hospitals. There are no other possible conflicts of interest to report.
Research Article
Association between work–family conflict and musculoskeletal pain among hospital patient care workers†
Article first published online: 27 SEP 2012
DOI: 10.1002/ajim.22120
Copyright © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Additional Information
How to Cite
Kim, S.-S., Okechukwu, C. A., Buxton, O. M., Dennerlein, J. T., Boden, L. I., Hashimoto, D. M. and Sorensen, G. (2013), Association between work–family conflict and musculoskeletal pain among hospital patient care workers. Am. J. Ind. Med., 56: 488–495. doi: 10.1002/ajim.22120
- †
Publication History
- Issue published online: 18 MAR 2013
- Article first published online: 27 SEP 2012
- Manuscript Accepted: 20 AUG 2012
Funded by
- National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. Grant Number: U19 OH008861
- National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. Grant Number: R01HL107240
- Abstract
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- Cited By
Keywords:
- work–family conflict;
- musculoskeletal symptoms;
- low back pain;
- hospital worker
Abstract
Background
A growing body of evidence suggests that work–family conflict is an important risk factor for workers' health and well-being. The goal of this study is to examine association between work–family conflict and musculoskeletal pain among hospital patient care workers.
Methods
We analyzed a cross-sectional survey of 1,119 hospital patient care workers in 105 units in two urban, academic hospitals. Work–family conflict was measured by 5-item Work–Family Conflict Scale questionnaire. Multilevel logistic regression was applied to examine associations between work–family conflict and self-reported musculoskeletal pain in the past 3 months, adjusting for covariates including work-related psychosocial factors and physical work factors.
Results
In fully adjusted models, high work–family conflict was strongly associated with neck or shoulder pain (OR: 2.34, 95% CI: 1.64–3.34), arm pain (OR: 2.79, 95% CI: 1.64–4.75), lower extremity pain (OR: 2.20, 95% CI: 1.54–3.15) and any musculoskeletal pain (OR: 2.45, 95% CI: 1.56–3.85), and a number of body areas in pain (OR: 2.47, 95% CI: 1.82–3.36) in the past 3 months. The association with low back pain was attenuated and became non-significant after adjusting for covariates.
Conclusions
Given the consistent associations between work–family conflict and self-reported musculoskeletal pains, the results suggest that work–family conflict could be an important domain for health promotion and workplace policy development among hospital patient care workers. Am. J. Ind. Med. 56:488–495, 2013. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.