Biopsychosocial risk factors in office workers with non-specific neck pain: a cross-sectional analysis

Background: Non-specific neck pain (NSNP) is a highly prevalent and burdensome musculoskeletal disorder. Several biopsychosocial risk factors for NSNP exist in the literature. However, the use of standardised, research-validated self-reporting instruments for measuring the multidimensional nature of risk factors in NSNP is lacking in the literature.Objectives:Describe a population of office workers with NSNP with respect to biopsychosocial risk factors; and, find the prevalence of NSNP in an office worker population.Methods:119 office workers were studied. Data were collected using an online questionnaire comprising six standardised self-reporting instruments to measure biopsychosocial risk factors.Results: The prevalence of self-reported NSNP in the study population was 73.10%. NSNP was associated with manner of self-reported NSNP, gender, employment, education, workplace, marital status and sickness absence by some of the self-reporting instruments. Preliminary evidence suggests psychosocial parameters have significant effects on self-reported NSNP. The instruments were also highly correlated to one another.Conclusions:Several biospychosocial risk factors for NSNP in office workers exist. Future studies should examine the correlations between each of the six instrument items to one another and by self-reported NSNP to ascertain the effect of specific risk factors in NSNP and disability.