Musculoskeletal pain, job satisfaction, depression, and anxiety among spanish podiatric physicians.

BACKGROUND

There is a high prevalence of musculoskeletal complaints related to day-to-day work among podiatric physicians. We sought to determine the relationships among musculoskeletal pain, job satisfaction, depression, and anxiety in Spanish podiatric physicians.

METHODS

A convenience sample of 421 Spanish podiatric physicians was administered a survey that included questions about sociodemographic variables, musculoskeletal pain, job satisfaction, depression, and anxiety.

RESULTS

On average, respondents were found to have a high level of pain, a moderate level of job satisfaction, and low-to-moderate levels of depression and anxiety. Young single women had the highest levels of pain and anxiety. Analysis with the Student t test indicated significant differences between the sexes for levels of pain (P < .0001) and anxiety (P < .014). Job satisfaction was inversely related to depression and anxiety.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings, particularly the increased levels of pain, job dissatisfaction, anxiety, and depression in young single female podiatrists, indicate a need for strategies to reduce the risks posed by the work environment in podiatric medicine, thus minimizing the negative psychological and physical consequences of participating in the profession.