Education gaps link job types to mysterious motor disorders
Researchers found that people with functional motor disorders tend to work in less-skilled roles and have fewer years of schooling than healthy peers. The discovery suggests occupational stress or educational barriers may play a role in these hard-to-treat neurological conditions, potentially reshaping how employers and health systems approach workplace wellness.
Originaltitel: Occupation and education level in functional motor disorders.
Funktionella motoriska störningar är vanligare bland personer i vissa yrken — en upptäckt som kan förklara varför dessa tillstånd uppstår och bibehålls. En italiensk registerstudie med 479 patienter och 252 kontroller visar att personer inom handel, service, hantverk, skicklig tillverkning och maskinbetjäning löper högre risk än andra yrkesgrupper. Utbildningsnivå spelar också roll — patienter hade färre skolår än kontroller. Neurologer vid universiteten i Verona och Sassari använde standardiserad yrkesklassificering och multivariat analys för att särskilja yrkesfaktorer från utbildning. Hälsovårdspersonal visade ingen ökad risk. Resultaten stödjer att arbetsrelaterad belastning — fysisk eller psykosocial — kan utlösa eller upprätthålla dessa störningar. För regionala vårdenheter blir detta relevant vid screening och rehabilitering av arbetsförtidspension och arbetsmiljörisker.
BACKGROUND: The role of occupational background in functional motor disorders (FMDs) remains poorly defined. Controlled data using standardized occupational classifications and information on education level are limited. OBJECTIVE: To assess the association between occupational background and FMDs in working-age individuals and to examine the role of education level in this relationship. METHODS: We conducted a case-control study using data from the Italian Registry of Functional Motor Disorders. Patients aged 30-65 years with available occupational information were included and compared with healthy controls. Occupations were classified according to the 2021 Italian National Institute of Statistics classification. Education level was expressed as years of schooling. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to assess the association between occupational categories and FMD status after adjustment for age, sex, and years of schooling. RESULTS: A total of 479 patients with FMDs and 252 healthy controls were included. Patients had fewer years of schooling than controls, and the distribution of occupational categories differed between groups. In particular, qualified professions in commercial activities and services, artisans and skilled workers, and machine operators were more frequently represented among patients. In multivariable analysis, these occupational categories and years of schooling remained independently associated with FMD status. Healthcare professions did not differ between patients and controls. CONCLUSIONS: Occupational background and education level were independently associated with FMDs in working-age individuals. These findings support the view that occupational factors may be relevant as possible precipitating or maintaining factors within the biopsychosocial model of FMDs, without implying a causal relationship.