Musculoskeletal Pain and Job Insecurity

qualitative job insecurity and initial level of musculoskeletal pain.

Hypothesis 2: Qualitative job insecurity mediates the relationship between illegitimate tasks and musculoskeletal pain.This article discusses the relationship between illegitimate tasks at work and musculoskeletal pain, proposing that qualitative job insecurity mediates the relationship between the two. Qualitative job insecurity refers to the perceived threat of the quality of one's job, such as a deterioration of working conditions or lack of career opportunities. Illegitimate tasks may foster qualitative job insecurity, as they threaten the accomplishment of core tasks and may raise concerns about the quality of the social work environment. The study found that illegitimate tasks were positively related to qualitative job insecurity, which in turn was positively related to musculoskeletal pain. The article provides insight into the negative effects of job insecurity on health and well-being and highlights the importance of addressing illegitimate tasks and qualitative job insecurity in the workplace.This study aimed to investigate the relationship between illegitimate tasks, qualitative job insecurity, and musculoskeletal pain using a two-wave study with a six-week time lag. The results showed that illegitimate tasks were positively associated with musculoskeletal pain, and this relationship was mediated by qualitative job insecurity. The effect of illegitimate tasks on musculoskeletal pain was reduced when controlling for age, sex, and type of contract. The study suggests that reducing illegitimate tasks and improving job security may help prevent musculoskeletal pain in the workplace. The statistical analyses were performed using IBM SPSS software package and AMOS 25, and the results were presented in tables and figures.The study suggests that illegitimate tasks, which are work contents with position-inappropriate role expectations perceived as unreasonable and/or unnecessary, are positively related to musculoskeletal pain and qualitative job insecurity. The findings highlight the importance of being sensitive to the potential illegitimacy of task assignments and the concerns about the future threat to the occupational role of the individual. The study also emphasizes the need for intervention studies enhancing the sensitivity to potential illegitimacy of assigned tasks in order to improve the employees’ psychosomatic health. Practical implications arise particularly for supervisors and the overall organization to avoid or reduce threats to the self.