Understanding the Psychosomatic Impact of Occupational Stress among Working Professionals in Lucknow District.
Abstract
Background: Occupational stress has emerged as a significant public health concern, affecting the physical, psychological, and social well-being of working professionals. Persistent exposure to workplace stress can contribute to a range of psychosomatic health problems, negatively influencing employees' quality of life, job performance, and overall productivity. Despite increasing recognition of this issue, evidence on the psychosomatic effects of occupational stress among working professionals remains limited. This study aimed to investigate the psycho-somatic effects of occupational stress among working professionals in Lucknow district. Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted in Lucknow district, Uttar Pradesh, India, between February and June 2026. A total of 141 working professionals were selected by using a simple random sampling technique. Data were collected through a pre-tested structured interview schedule after obtaining informed consent from all participants. The collected data were entered and analyzed using SPSS Statistics version 32.0. Descriptive statistics, including frequencies and percentages, were used to summarize the data, while the Chi-square test was applied to assess the association between gender and selected psychosocial variables. Results - Among 141 respondents, 66.0% were males and 34.0% were females. The mean age was 34.21 ± 7.49 years. Nearly half (46.8%) reported a slight level of occupational stress. Headache, irritation, mood swings and backache were the most reported psycho-somatic complaints. Significant gender differences were observed in work beyond regular working hours (χ²=17.69, p<0.001), causes of stress (χ²=15.31, p=0.004), and coping strategies (χ²=14.36, p=0.002). However, no significant association was found between gender and stress level (χ²=0.316, p=0.854) or work-life balance satisfaction (χ²=3.50, p=0.173). Conclusion - Occupational stress remains highly prevalent among working professionals in Lucknow district and is associated with multiple psycho-somatic symptoms and disturbed sleep. Organizational interventions focusing on workload management, employee recognition, stress management, and mental health support are recommended.