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Work Outcomes in Patients Who Stay at Work Despite Musculoskeletal Pain

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Abstract

Purpose To assess self-reported work impacts and associations between psychosocial risk factors and work impairment amongst workers seeking care for musculoskeletal pain while continuing to work. Methods Patients were recruited from Musculoskeletal Assessment Clinics at 5 hospitals across Ireland. Participants completed questionnaires including assessments of work impairment (Work Productivity and Activity Impairment Questionnaire), work ability (single item from the Work Ability Index) and work performance (Work Role Functioning Questionnaire; WRFQ). Logistic and hierarchical regressions were conducted to analyse the relation between psychosocial variables and work outcomes. Results 155 participants (53.5% female; mean age = 46.50 years) who were working at the time of assessment completed the questionnaires. Absenteeism was low, yet 62.6% were classified as functioning poorly according to the WRFQ; 52.3% reported having poor work ability. Logistic regression analyses indicated that higher work role functioning was associated with higher pain self-efficacy (OR 1.51); better work ability was associated with older age (OR 1.063) and lower functional restriction (OR 0.93); greater absenteeism was associated with lower pain self-efficacy (OR 0.65) and poorer work expectancy (OR 1.18). Multiple regression analysis indicated that greater presenteeism was associated with higher pain intensity (β = 0.259) and lower pain self-efficacy (β = − 0.385). Conclusions While individuals continue to work with musculoskeletal pain, their work performance can be adversely affected. Interventions that target mutable factors, such as pain self-efficacy, may help reduce the likelihood of work impairment.

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Acknowledgements

Funded by the Health Research Board [RCQPS-2014-2]. We wish to acknowledge and extend our thanks to the CSPs who collaborated in recruitment and data collection.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Maynooth University, Co Kildare, Ireland

    Andy Cochrane, Conor Rothwell & Deirdre Desmond

  2. Department of Psychology, Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, UK

    Niamh M. Higgins

  3. Physiotherapy Services, Beaumont Hospital, Dublin, Ireland

    Jennifer Ashton

  4. Royal College of Physicians in Ireland, Dublin, Ireland

    Roisin Breen

  5. Rheumatology Services, University Hospital Waterford, Waterford, Ireland

    Oriel Corcoran

  6. School of Medicine, St. Vincent’s University Hospital, Elm Park, Dublin, 4, Ireland

    Oliver FitzGerald

  7. School of Nursing and Human Sciences, Dublin City University, Dublin, Ireland

    Pamela Gallagher

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  1. Andy Cochrane
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Correspondence to Andy Cochrane.

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All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and participating hospital research committees and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Cochrane, A., Higgins, N.M., Rothwell, C. et al. Work Outcomes in Patients Who Stay at Work Despite Musculoskeletal Pain. J Occup Rehabil 28, 559–567 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10926-017-9748-4

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