Experience of Stress, Musculoskeletal Discomfort, and Eyestrain in Computer-Based Office Work: A Study in Municipal Workplaces

A questionnaire on the use of information technology and stress at work was administered in 3 organizational units of a large municipality in 1996. Three hundred seventy-nine employees from several professional groups (e.g., architects, engineers, lawyers, clerical workers, draftspersons, etc.) answered the questionnaire. The age of the respondents ranged from 21 to 62 years (M = 45.2, SD = 8.7). Sixty-one percent of the respondents were women, and 39% were men. Psychosocial and organizational factors were related to the experiences of psychological stress as well as to musculoskeletal disorders and problems with vision. Women reported stress and all symptoms more often than men. The occupational groups differed according to the main sources of stress. Age associated with the concern about changes in tasks and responsibilities, lack of competence, and difficulties in using computers. In regression analyses, workload and haste, management and work atmosphere, work demands, defects of the workplace, and gender explained 42% of the experience of mental stress and anxiety. Twenty-five percent of the complaints of discomfort of the upper limbs were explained by workload and haste, management and atmosphere, defects of the workplace, hours of daily computer use, and gender. Nineteen percent of the problems with vision were explained by age, workload and haste, defects of the workplace, hours of daily computer use, skills in computer use, and stress related to computer use.