Cultural and Psychosocial Influences on Disability
Chief Investigators
- Prof Malcolm Sim
- Dr Helen Kelsall
- Prof David Coggon (Medical Research Council Epidemiology Resource Centre, Southampton General Hospital, United Kingdom) (international group)
PhD student
- Dr Victor Hoe
Funding
Monash University Strategic Grants Scheme
Summary
MonCOEH undertook the Australian arm of an international prospective multi-centre study known as the CUPID (CUltural and Psychosocial Influences on Disability) study.
The study aimed to:
- Determine the prevalence of, and risk factors for, musculoskeletal symptoms and associated disability in workers with varying physical demands;
- Explore risk factors for the persistence of symptoms and associated disability, and in particular to establish whether personal beliefs and expectations have a major impact on the chronicity of pain in the back, neck and upper limb, and on the extent of associated disability;
- Determine whether these outcomes within each cultural group are strongly influenced by individual tendency to somatise, and/or by the individual differences in health beliefs;
- Investigate the above objectives where workers are doing similar work in a range of cultural environments across the different international centres taking part in CUPID.