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The Impact of Family and Work-Related Social Support on Musculoskeletal Injury Outcomes: A Systematic Review

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Abstract

Purpose Social support has been identified as a key factor in facilitating better health outcomes following injury. However, there is limited research on the role of social support in recovery from musculoskeletal injury (MSI), the leading cause of morbidity and disability in the world. The aim of this study is to review the extent to which family and work-related social support (e.g. co-workers, supervisors) has been identified as a factor in the outcomes (physical, psychological, economic) of individuals with MSI. Methods Eight online databases were searched for observational studies reporting findings on family and work-related social support in populations with MSI. Data extraction, quality assessment and a systematic critical synthesis were carried out on included studies. Results Fourteen relevant articles were identified. The majority of the studies focused on social support from co-workers or supervisors (n = 11), while three studies focused on social support from the family. Overall, the evidence for the relation between work-related support and MSI outcomes was inconclusive. Similarly, there was limited and inconclusive evidence to demonstrate a relationship between family support and MSI outcomes. Conclusions The results of this review are inconclusive. Further research is needed to understand the role of social support in rehabilitation efforts following MSI. Recommendations for future research are provided.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by a scholarship from the Institute for Safety, Compensation and Recovery Research (ISCRR). The authors wish to thank Kaye Lasserre for advice on the search strategy and for assistance with Endnote.

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No animal or human studies were carried out by the authors for this article.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Monash Injury Research Institute, Monash University, Building 70, Monash University Clayton Campus, Wellington Road, Clayton, VIC, 3800, Australia

    Khic-Houy Prang, Sharon Newnam & Janneke Berecki-Gisolf

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  1. Khic-Houy Prang
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  2. Sharon Newnam
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Correspondence to Khic-Houy Prang.

Appendices

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Table 4 Medline and Embase search strategy
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Appendix 2

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Table 5 Checklist for measuring study quality
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Prang, KH., Newnam, S. & Berecki-Gisolf, J. The Impact of Family and Work-Related Social Support on Musculoskeletal Injury Outcomes: A Systematic Review. J Occup Rehabil 25, 207–219 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10926-014-9523-8

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