Relationship between pain catastrophizing and pain self-efficacy and presenteeism in workers: a cross-sectional-study focusing on gender differences.

Presenteeism has been noted to be associated with cognitive factors of pain, such as pain catastrophizing (PC) and pain self-efficacy (PS). Pain perception differs by gender, so it is important to consider gender differences when examining the association between cognitive factors of pain and presenteeism. This study aimed to examine the association between presenteeism and cognitive factors of pain, taking gender differences into account. A cross-sectional survey of 305 workers was conducted using a self-administered questionnaire that included items on pain status, PC, PS, and work performance. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to test whether PC and PS independently influence presenteeism, separately for men and women. Logistic regression analysis showed that PC was extracted in men, and the group with severe PC had higher odds of presenteeism (odds ratio 6.56, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.83-23.40). Contrarily, PS was extracted in women, with higher odds of presenteeism in the moderate (odds ratio 2.54, 95% CI 1.01-6.39) and low (odds ratio 5.43, 95% CI 1.31-22.50) PS groups than in the high PS. This study showed that the cognitive factors of pain related to presenteeism may differ by gender.