PSYCHOSOCIAL STRESS AND JOB-SATISFACTION IN FEMALE OFFICE EMPLOYEES WITH AND WITHOUT NECK SHOULDER SYMPTOMS

The objective of this research performed in a Finnish occupational hea lth care setting was to describe the annual prevalence of neck and sho ulder symptoms in female office employees and to test whether or not t hese symptoms were associated with psychosocial stress, job satisfacti on and health locus of control. The subjects consisted wholly of femal e office employees (n = 232) at one local bank and three insurance off ices, chosen on a voluntary basis. The annual prevalence of disturbing neck-shoulder symptoms among female office employees was 43.3%. An as sociation of these symptoms with psychosomatic symptoms, poor general job satisfaction and its two subdimensions, work content and perceptio n of the healthiness of the working environment, was noticed. The subj ects with neck-shoulder symptoms had a significantly higher score of f eelings of external control (fatalism) than those without symptoms. Th e results lead to the conclusion that neck-shoulder symptoms are commo n amongst female office employees. These symptoms are associated with some psychosocial stress factors and job dissatisfaction. In future, i t would be important to pay attention to these factors when trying to reduce the prevalence of neck-shoulder symptoms in office work.