Distinct biopsychosocial profiles emerge among nonpatients.
OBJECTIVE
The cross-sectional study comprised 30- to 55-year-old permanent employees (N=1784) of the Finnish Broadcasting Company (YLE).


METHODS
The participants (N=1339, response rate 75%) completed standardised questionnaires covering demographic items, physical health, work performance, stress symptoms, pain and musculoskeletal symptoms, and overall biopsychosocial health.


RESULTS
Physical symptoms (present often or continually) were reported by 15%, psychosomatic by 19% and psychosocial by 14%. The intercorrelations between 73 biopsychosocial variables revealed nine factors explaining 54.5% of variance for intrapersonal profiles and four factors explaining 59.2% of variance for interpersonal profiles. The Cronbach alphas for reliability ranged from.76 to.83. Three distinct biopsychosocial cluster profiles were found: Cluster 1 (n=290, 27%) loaded positively with the somatic and psychosocial variables, Cluster 2 (n=558, 51%) loaded negatively with the various biopsychosocial symptoms, and Cluster 3 (n=235, 22%) loaded positively with anxiety.


CONCLUSIONS
Discriminant function analysis confirmed that this cluster solution correctly classified 95.2% of the subjects in a nonpatient multiprofessional population, which supports the biopsychosocial approach also in work life issues.
Ahlberg
J
J
Helsinki University Central Hospital, Helsinki, Finland. jari.ahlberg@yle.fi
Suvinen
T I
TI
Rantala
M
M
Lindholm
H
H
Nikkilä
H
H
Savolainen
A
A
Nissinen
M
M
Kaarento
K
K
Sarna
S
S
Könönen
M
M
D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008875:Middle Aged; D009790:Occupations; D011602:Psychophysiologic Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D017132:Workplace