Impact of somatic complaints on the mental health of bank sector employees: An empirical study

Research article | https://doi.org/10.47262/BL/10.2.20230220

Javeria Ilyas 1, Khalid Javed Iqbal 1, Zia Ur Rehman 2, Khawar Ali Shahzad 1*

1Department of Zoology, The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Bahawalpur, 63100, Pakistan

2Department of Physiology, Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Bahawalpur, 63100, Pakistan

Abstract

Somatic complaints refer to bodily symptoms that people encounter that don't have obvious biological origins, such as headaches, digestive issues, and musculoskeletal discomfort. There is a scarcity of research explicitly concentrating on the banking industry, despite prior studies looking at the connection between somatic symptoms and mental health in a variety of professional circumstances. This study explores somatic symptoms' impact on banking sector employees' mental health. The research initiative intends to collect quantitative data through questionnaires using a mixed methods approach to determine the incidence and severity of somatic symptoms experienced by bank personnel. Questionnaires (n=196) were distributed amongst different public and private banks of Southern Punjab. The data was analyzed using a reliability test, linear regression model, and correlation to find the relation between somatic complaints and mental health issues. The results show that there is a positive relationship between somatic complaints and mental health issues, i.e., a person having somatic complaints will also suffer from mental health issues, hence, satisfies the research hypothesis. Moreover, according to the study, greater levels of somatic complaints among workers in the banking industry are correlated with higher levels of stress, anxiety, and depression. The association between somatic symptoms and mental health was also examined with respect to potential moderating factors such as company culture, workload, and job satisfaction. In a nutshell, enhancing an employee's psychological health may benefit their work happiness, productivity, and overall organizational performance.