Exploring the moderating role of pain coping strategies on the association between work-related physical and psychosocial factors and musculoskeletal disorders in healthcare workers

Background Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are highly prevalent among healthcare workers due to the physical and psychosocial demands of their job. These conditions lead to significant functional limitations and impose a substantial economic burden. Objective This study aimed to investigate whether pain coping strategies moderate the relationship between work-related physical and psychosocial factors and MSDs. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted among 130 healthcare workers at Northwest General Hospital, Peshawar, Pakistan. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 27 and moderation analysis was performed using the PROCESS macro version 4.2 by Andrew F. Hayes. Results Strong positive correlations were found between pain coping strategies and neck-shoulder pain (r = 0.86, p < 0.001) and upper extremity pain (r = 0.65, p < 0.001), while a weaker correlation was observed with low back pain (r = 0.34, p < 0.001). Work-related psychosocial and physical factors were strongly associated with neck, shoulder, and upper extremity pain, while their relationship with low back pain was moderate. Moderation analysis showed that pain coping strategies significantly moderated the relationship between work demands and neck-shoulder pain ( p = 0.00182). Similarly, coping strategies moderated the effect of heavy physical load on upper extremity pain ( p = 0.0195). However, no significant moderating effect was found for low back pain. Conclusion Pain coping strategies significantly moderate the relationship between work-related physical and psychosocial factors and MSDs, particularly in the neck, shoulder, and upper extremities. These findings suggest that integrating coping-based interventions into occupational health programs may help mitigate the burden of MSDs among healthcare workers.