Association between psychosocial factors and low back pain among nurses working in intensive care units

Objective: Low back pain is among the most common occupational health problems in nurses. It is known that occupational exposure and psychosocial factors are important risk factors. The purpose of this study is to assess the prevalence of low back pain among nurses employed in intensive care units and to examine the relationship between psychosocial factors and the occurrence of low back pain. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted with 127 nurses employed in intensive care units. Data were gathered on participants' socio-demographic characteristics, presence of low back pain symptoms, and psychosocial factors, and were analyzed using SPSS 15.0. Results: The one-month prevalence of low back pain among these nurses was found to be 70.9%. Low back pain was high in female participants [OR:6.56 (95% CI:1.98-21.73)] and those who worked the night shift [OR:6.62 (95% CI:1.68-26.09)] and the presence of the social support in the workplace [OR:0.97 (95% CI:0.95-0.99)] has a protective effect against low back pain. Conclusion: Among nurses working in intensive care units, females and those assigned to night shifts experienced more intense low back pain, while those with social support reported less frequent discomfort.