Historians discuss the centrality and importance of work in the advancement of ancient civilizations. From the beginning, work is a fundamental theme of human and social structure. With technological advancement, work continues to increase in complexity, presenting further opportunities and possibilities, and expanding in its meaning, value, and belief. Societies measure an individual’s worth by the ability to contribute to the monetary needs of the family as well as being able to care for one’s self [4]. People are continuously striving to find the meaning of life through work [5, 6]. An individual develops a sense of identity through participating in meaningful work [7, 8]. It provides individuals with a sense of identity, income, social relationships, outlet, recognition, and belonging to a society that values and respects working and independent individuals, eventually influencing the worker’s wellbeing [9–13]. For many adults, paid work is a major, if not the principal source of purposive activity, social relationships, independence, identity, and self-respect [10, 14, 15]. In addition, work has a positive outcome on the individual’s relationships, and the development and maintenance of identity in and out of the workplace [10, 16]. Through work, people seek a sense of balance and normalization in life between their needs and values to secure a feeling of satisfaction and belonging [6, 13]. Depending on the individual’s gender, race, age, culture, religion, immigration status, and social class, work provides an opportunity for survival, purpose, structure, and/or a sense of power [12].
Because of the centrality of work in people’s lives, the inability to work due to injury or unemployment may result in psychosocial health issues. Work-related injuries leading to restricted and limited participation in meaningful and purposeful activities result in significant strain and stress on an individual’s psychosocial health [10]. Kim [17] underlines that occupational injuries are more severe and necessitate longer treatment than non-occupational injuries due to associated psychosocial consequences, such as depression. Alnaser [11], de Carvalho et al. [18], and Chan and Spencer [19] examined different populations with work-related injuries and highlighted that participants’ experience psychosocial issues, such as depression, anger, dissatisfaction, and low quality of life, due to restricted participation in leisure and social activities, and limitations in performing activities of daily living. The impact of WMSDs is relevant, especially for clients who reach their potential in outpatient care but still suffer from other limitations preventing their return to work [20]. Such individuals usually experience significant setbacks upon their return, such as depression, anxiety, and stress [17, 19, 20]. Moreover, workers with WMSDs have increased psychological distress and, in turn, greater pain intensity and severity, as well as symptoms of depression, and fear of re-injury and pain. Because of these symptoms, workers with WMSDs avoid physical activities at and outside the workplace and delay their return [21, 22].
NISOH [23] defines musculoskeletal disorders as injuries and/or disorders of the muscles, nerves, tendons, joints, cartilage, and spinal discs. It considers musculoskeletal disorders as WMSDs if the work environment and performance of work contribute significantly to the condition, and if the condition exacerbates due to identical work conditions. Psychosocial distress is a negative emotional experience of psychological issues such as depression, anxiety, fear, stress, frustration, and dissatisfaction, as well as social issues such as isolation and the inability to perform personally, at home, and at work, in addition to spiritual roles, responsibilities, and duties that may inhibit the individuals’ coping abilities [11, 17, 24]. Several quantitative research studies examined WMSDs among different occupational populations including healthcare professionals, factory, industrial, port, assembly line, and construction workers [3, 18, 25–34].The purpose of this qualitative research study was to investigate psychosocial distress among workers with WMSDs from different occupational populations.