Prevalence of Musculoskeletal Problems and Its Relation to Psychological Distress among General Secondary Students Subjected to Online Learning

Background: The musculoskeletal problems like pain become critical problems face adolescents’ especially secondary school students particularly after the learning process become totally online after corona disaster. The aim of this study was to identify the prevalence of musculoskeletal problems among general secondary students subjected to online learning, and to determine the relationship between musculoskeletal problems and psychological distress. Subjects and methods; Design: A descriptive cross-sectional design was used. Setting: The study was conducted at 4 general secondary schools randomly selected from Zagazig, Kafr Saqr, Ibrahemia, Abo-Hammad cities, Sharkia Governorate, Egypt. Subject: Sample of 421 general secondary students was selected randomly from the above mentioned settings. Tools of data collection: Three tools were used as follows; Tool (1): A Questionnaire Interview Sheet. Tool (2): Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire. Tool (3): Depression, Anxiety & Stress Scale - 21 Items. Results: More than two thirds of the studied students had musculoskeletal pain at the neck and more than half at the upper back; only fifth had history of spine curvature and cartilage or ligaments injuries. Sitting for long periods of time with neck bent, without a comfortable back pillow during online learning had highly statistically significant relation with upper limb, vertebral column and lower limb pain (p<0.01). Moreover, there were highly statistically significant associations between depression, anxiety, stress and occurrence of musculoskeletal problems (p<0.01). Conclusion: The prevalence of musculoskeletal problems like pain was higher in different body parts among general secondary students using online learning. Musculoskeletal problems increased significantly with depression, anxiety and stress as a result of switching to online education. Recommendations: Intervention strategies for the students to maintain good postures during online learning and community-based psychosocial programs for managing musculoskeletal problems among students.