LIFE - Institute for Climate, Energy and Society, Joanneum Research, Graz, 8020, Austria.
Medical Sociology and Psychobiology, Department of Health and Physical Activity, University of Potsdam, 14469, Potsdam, Germany.
BMC Musculoskelet Disord. 2024 Nov 28;25(1):971. doi: 10.1186/s12891-024-08087-5.
Low back pain (LBP) is a common health complaint and a prominent factor in the development of LBP among the working population is stress. Mostly, stress is addressed as a general problem, which is why LBP prevention programs are often imprecise. Accordingly, a closer look at the association between specific stress types and the development of LBP is necessary. Therefore, this paper aims (1) to identify the stress types most closely associated with LBP; (2) to examine the relationship between stress accumulation and LBP.
n = 100 call-center workers were approached for participation. Stress levels and LBP were assessed with questionnaires (TICS, ERI, CPG, BPI) and hair cortisol levels were measured (ELISA-KIT, 3-months period). Mann-Whitney U tests were used to identify stress types most closely associated with LBP. Further, ANCOVA analysis was conducted to determine the association of the number of experienced stress types with LBP intensity and impairment.
Finally, data from n = 68 participants (mean age: 43.2 (± 12.8) years; 62% female) were used for presented analysis. Participants, who were affected by work-related stress showed higher pain severity (excessive demands at work: 23.6 ± 21.8 vs. 42.4 ± 25.0 (p = 0.005)) and more impairment (excessive demands at work: 13.7 ± 17.6 vs. 28.7 ± 22.3 (p = 0.003); work overload: 15.4 ± 20.4 vs. 26.3 ± 17.4 (p = 0.009)) than their less affected colleagues. Other stress types (e.g. Effort, Reward) showed no significant association with LBP. Furthermore, participants who experienced two or more of the most associated stress types simultaneously suffered from stronger pain and more impairment (p < 0.01).
The results suggest that it is essential to divide and evaluate stress in specific domains. Furthermore, the accumulation of different stress types and the resulting physiological load should be taken into account when designing prevention and intervention programs. Results may be of high relevance for the development of LBP prevention programs for people within a predominantly sitting working context.
下背痛（LBP）是一种常见的健康问题，工作人群中 LBP 的一个主要因素是压力。大多数情况下，压力被视为一个普遍的问题，这就是为什么 LBP 预防计划往往不够精确。因此，有必要更仔细地研究特定压力类型与 LBP 发展之间的关系。因此，本文旨在：（1）确定与 LBP 最密切相关的压力类型；（2）研究压力积累与 LBP 之间的关系。
n = 100 名呼叫中心工作人员参与了这项研究。使用问卷（TICS、ERI、CPG、BPI）评估压力水平和 LBP，测量头发皮质醇水平（ELISA-KIT，3 个月周期）。使用曼-惠特尼 U 检验确定与 LBP 最密切相关的压力类型。进一步进行协方差分析，以确定经历的压力类型数量与 LBP 强度和损伤的关系。
最终，来自 n = 68 名参与者（平均年龄：43.2（±12.8）岁；62%为女性）的数据用于呈现分析。受与工作相关的压力影响的参与者表现出更高的疼痛严重程度（工作过度需求：23.6 ± 21.8 与 42.4 ± 25.0（p = 0.005））和更多的损伤（工作过度需求：13.7 ± 17.6 与 28.7 ± 22.3（p = 0.003）；工作过载：15.4 ± 20.4 与 26.3 ± 17.4（p = 0.009））比他们受影响较小的同事。其他压力类型（如努力、奖励）与 LBP 无显著关联。此外，同时经历两种或两种以上最相关压力类型的参与者疼痛更强，损伤更多（p < 0.01）。
研究结果表明，有必要对特定领域的压力进行细分和评估。此外，在设计预防和干预计划时，应考虑不同压力类型的积累和由此产生的生理负荷。这些结果可能对制定主要为坐姿工作人群的 LBP 预防计划具有重要意义。
