Work-related Musculoskeletal and Psychological Disorders among Rehabilitation Professionals
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.21834/e-bpj.v10iSI35.7525Keywords:
musculoskeletal disorders;, WMSD, psychological, stress levelAbstract
This study is to investigate the relationship between work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) and psychological status among rehabilitation professionals at the University Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC). A previous study on nurses reported that 97.3% had WMSDs and 44.3% had psychological stress (Krishnan et al., 2021). A cross-sectional study was conducted from April to July 2024 involving 140 participants from six healthcare professions. Data were collected using the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (NMQ) and the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21). High prevalence of WMSDs was reported, particularly in the lower back, shoulders, and neck, along with notable depression and stress levels. Positive but non-significant correlations were found between WMSDs and Psychological distress, emphasizing the need for targeted occupational health interventions.
References
Ahmed A. A. A., Alyusof, A. A., Aldawsari,M. R., Alghannam A. A., Alsayed, M. A., Alawadh, R. A., Alhussain, F.K., Alsuqair, H. M., Aljafari, L. A., Alhumaidy, M. S. &Almulhim, S.A. (2025). Work-related musculoskeletal disorders and their impact on quality of life: A comprehensive review. Saudi J Med Pharm Sci, 11(5): 360-377.
Amin, N. A., Nordin, R., Fadzil, N. M., & Roslan, R. (2020). Work-related musculoskeletal disorders among nurses in Malaysia: Prevalence and risk factors. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(21), 7631.
Bolarinde, S. O., Aniebue, P. N., & Ejimofor, O. C. (2019). Work-related musculoskeletal disorders: A global health concern. Journal of Occupational Health, 61(1), 111-122. https://doi.org/10.1002/1348-9585.12080.
Carriere, J. S., Thibault, P., Milioto, M., & Sullivan, M. J. L. (2014). Depression symptoms as a risk factor for poor outcomes in musculoskeletal disorders. Pain Research & Management, 19(3), 138-142.
Jamaludin, F. I., Nor, N. G. M., & Rahman, N. H. A. (2022). The association between workplace environment and mental health among employees in Malaysia. Environment-Behaviour Proceedings Journal, 17(1), 203–210.
Kim, H. J., & Choo, J. (2016). Emotional labor and burnout among healthcare professionals. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 72(7), 1667–1678.
Krishnan, K. S., Raju, G., & Shawkataly, O. (2021). Prevalence of work-related musculoskeletal disorders: Psychological and physical risk factors. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(17), 9361. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18179361.
Lindert, L., Schlomann, L., Pfaff, H., & Choi, K. E. (2022). The Role of Psychological Wellbeing in a Cross-Provider Worksite Healthcare Management Program for Employees with Musculoskeletal Disorders. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(9), 5452. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19095452.
Sabri, T. T. A., Isa, S. N. I., Kamalruzaman, N. S. A., & Zamri, E. N. (2023). Relationship between musculoskeletal disorders and psychological distress among health sciences undergraduate students in Selangor. Malaysian Journal of Public Health Medicine, 23(1), 57–64. https://doi.org/10.37268/mjphm/vol.23/no.1/art.1726.
Tariah, H. A., Nafai, S., Alajmi, M., Almutairi, F., & Alanazi, B. (2020). Work-related musculoskeletal disorders in nurses working in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Work (Reading, Mass.), 65(2), 421–428. https://doi.org/10.3233/WOR-203094.
Yasobant, S., & Rajkumar, P. (2014). Work-related musculoskeletal disorders among health care professionals: A cross-sectional assessment of risk factors in a tertiary hospital in India. Indian Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 18(2), 75–81.
Yeshaw, Y., & Mossie, A. (2017). Depression, anxiety, and stress among university students: A cross-sectional study. BMC Public Health, 17(1), 614.
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Mohamad Hafiz Abu Seman, Safwah Marini Ahmad Darus, Nurshazana Akmal Jamaludin, Sakinah Rasli

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.