Effects of rehabilitation on the productivity among university professors with chronic musculoskeletal pain: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Purpose To examine how rehabilitation influences work productivity in university professors from Brazilian federal universities with chronic musculoskeletal pain, specifically by investigating its moderating effect on the relationship between pain intensity and productivity loss at work, as well as its mediating role in the association between self-efficacy for chronic pain and productivity loss at work. Design and Methods A cross-sectional study with 974 university professors experiencing chronic musculoskeletal pain conducted via virtual structured questionnaire including Numeric Pain Rating Scale, Work Limitations Questionnaire (WLQ-25), and Chronic Pain Self-Efficacy Scale (CPSS). Results Total 82.65% of faculty reported moderate to severe pain, and 50.62% were undergoing rehabilitation. The mean total self-efficacy score was 190.13, and mean productivity loss was 7.83%. Moderation analysis showed faculty undergoing rehabilitation had 2.62% productivity loss versus 3.07% for those not undergoing. Mediation analysis indicated a ß correlation coefficient of −0.000 for indirect effect and −0.029 for direct effect. Conclusions Rehabilitation does not decrease productivity loss as pain intensity increases; however, faculty undergoing rehabilitation exhibit lower productivity loss compared to those who do not. Higher levels of self-efficacy reduce productivity loss, and rehabilitation does not mediate this relationship.