Perceived work-related psychosocial stress and musculoskeletal disorders complaints among call centre workers in India–a cross sectional study

Abstract

Context: The study was conducted in Chennai, India in response to increase in number of health complaints among call centre workers in an organization. Aim: To assess the relationship between work-related musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) and workplace psychological stress. Settings and designs: Cross-sectional study design Methods and materials: After obtaining informed consent, data was collected using self-reported questionnaire distributed to 155 call centre workers in the organization. Statistical analysis used: Chi-square test, t-test and general logistic regression. Results: From the worker's perception, it was found that 65.8% of the participants have average level of mental stress at work. Among the various work-related psychological stressors, things happening outside of control at work had the highest impact on most of the subjects (84.5%). The most frequent physical pain/discomfort experienced by the study participants in the previous 12-month period concerned the neck region (53.5%). Statistical analysis showed significant association between the prevalence of MSD and occupational mental stress. Conclusion: Occupational/workplace mental stress has a significant positive association with prevalence of MSD among call centre workers. A systematic approach to risk reduction addressing the organizational, psychosocial and physical work factors is required. More research is required to know about the interaction between psychological stress and MSD.