Psychosocial risk factors may influence mental and musculoskeletal health. Neck pain is one of the most frequently reported diagnoses by professors, which can be associated with physical and mental work demands. A broader understanding of the development of neck pain can determine whether there is a psychosocial influence and to suggest possible management strategies.

To verify whether psychosocial factors are associated with the development of neck pain in professors at Brazilian public higher education institutions (HEIs).

This longitudinal study used baseline data collected from May to December 2022 and from May to December 2023 (12-month follow-up). Participants were invited to participate mainly by email, responding to an electronic form. For this study, we selected professors who worked 40 hours per week exclusively and without a medical diagnosis of neck pain at baseline. Psychosocial aspects were assessed using the short Brazilian-Portuguese version of the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire (COPSOQ II-Br). Logistics and descriptive analyses of the data were performed, using the SPSS statistical software. The work-related psychosocial risk factors assessed were symptoms of stress and burnout; work-family conflict; quantitative work demands, and emotional work demands. The variables sex, age, preschool-aged children (0 to 5 years), and family income were added to the adjusted model. For family income, the monthly minimum wage (MMW) was used based on the year 2022 (MMW = R$ 1,212.00 ? USD 230).

The study included 661 professors, mean age of 48.9 (SD = 9.8) years, 54% were male, 71% were white, 70.1% had a spouse, 36% had no children and only 12.3% had preschool-age children, 89% had a doctorate, 52% had a family income less than or equal to 12 MMW and 95.5% were non-smokers. Professors from all Brazilian states participated, but the majority (24.4%) lived in the state of São Paulo. The majority were in the risk category for three of the five psychosocial factors evaluated, namely: burnout (61.1%); stress (62.4%); emotional work demands (50.7%). Most professors were in the safe category for the work-family conflict factors (54.4%) and quantitative work demands (81.4%). At the 12-month follow-up, 3.5% of professors reported a medical diagnosis of neck pain. Only emotional demands showed a significant association (p < 0,05) with the medical diagnosis of neck pain in the 12-month follow-up in crude model (p = 0,027; OR: 2,91; 95% CI: 1,13–7,47) and the adjusted model (p = 0,043; OR: 2,69; IC: 1,03–7,05).

Emotional demands increase the chance of developing neck pain in professors at Brazilian public HEIs by almost three times, which suggests the need for a multifaceted approach to manage this health condition.

This result highlights the importance of a comprehensive approach that considers not only the physical assessment but also the psychosocial aspects of these workers, with multidisciplinary treatment protocols. HEIs should support the emotional demands of professors, controlling emotionally stressful situations and promoting awareness programs on mental health, emotional intelligence and resilience to prevent neck pain.