Date of Conferral

12-1-2025

Date of Award

December 2025

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Psychology

Advisor

Jane Coddington

Abstract

A scoliosis diagnosis can impact an individual’s work performance, particularly if there is a lack of proper ergonomics or workplace accommodations that might lead to increased pain and discomfort. Organizational leaders must understand this impact as an indicator of employee motivation and productivity. The purpose of this qualitative, interpretative phenomenological analysis was to explore the lived experience of female employees in China with scoliosis pain and its impact on their motivation and productivity. The theoretical foundations used in this study were the job demands-resources model and the self-determination theory. The participants consisted of eight female employees with scoliosis pain working in China. Data were collected using semistructured interviews. Five themes emerged from the data analysis: (a) navigating and adjusting everyday life with scoliosis pain, (b) tools used for managing chronic scoliosis pain, (c) psychological aspects and affective response to pain in the workplace, (d) chronic pain impacts work performance and productivity, and (e) opportunities to improve employee well-being. Organizational leaders can use these identified themes to create strategies addressing scoliosis pain and productivity, the role of need satisfaction and emotions in motivation, and the desire for ergonomic and relational support. The implications for positive social change include the potential for organizational leaders to implement policy changes that raise ergonomic awareness, amplify employees’ voices with scoliosis pain, and inspire systematic reform to further enhance accommodation support and workplace well-being.

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