Exposure to psychosocial risk factors in the context of work: a systematic review

Abstract

OBJECTIVE To analyze the scientific literature about the effects of exposure to psychosocial risk factors in work contexts.METHODS A systematic review was performed using the terms “psychosocial factors” AND “COPSOQ” in the databases PubMed, Medline, and Scopus. The period analyzed was from January 1, 2004 to June 30, 2012. We have included articles that used the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire (COPSOQ) as a measuring instrument of the psychosocial factors and the presentation of quantitative or qualitative results. German articles, psychometric studies or studies that did not analyze individual or work factors were excluded.RESULTS We included 22 articles in the analysis. Individual factors, such as gender, age, and socioeconomic status, were analyzed along with work-related factors such as labor demands, work organization and content, social relationships and leadership, work-individual interface, workplace values, justice and respect, personality, health and well-being, and offensive behaviors. We analyzed the sample type and the applied experimental designs. Some population groups, such as young people and migrants, are more vulnerable. The deteriorated working psychosocial environment is associated with physical health indicators and weak mental health. This environment is also a risk factor for the development of moderate to severe clinical conditions, predicting absenteeism or intention of leaving the job.CONCLUSIONS The literature shows the contribution of exposure to psychosocial risk factors in work environments and their impact on mental health and well-being of workers. It allows the design of practical interventions in the work context to be based on scientific evidences. Investigations in specific populations, such as industry, and studies with more robust designs are lacking.

Migrant Workers and Psychological Health: A Systematic Review

“…Deteriorated psychosocial environment appears to be associated with higher levels of absenteeism in the workplace. Gender differences were evident in the perception of stress symptoms; in fact, women reported higher levels of stress symptoms compared to male colleagues with similar tasks [20]. Schilgen studied the mental condition of nurses, finding that adaptation to a foreign country, lifestyles and poor language proficient can lead to stress.…”

Occupational Psychosocial Hazards Among the Emerging US Green Collar Workforce

“…1–10 Key psychosocial hazards that have been discussed at length in the occupational health literature include: job insecurity, workplace harassment, and work-life imbalance. 3,5,11,12 Job insecurity occurs when employees are unsure as to the stability of their jobs in the future, often due to a poor economy or non-permanent roles. 13 Work-life imbalance transpires when an individual cannot meet their work and family commitments due to long hours, high work intensity and/or pressure.…”

Factores Psicosociales Del Ambiente Laboral en Profesores De Áreas Urbanas Y Rurales De Chuquisaca, Bolivia

“…El tamaño muestral obtenido permitió analizar las diferencias en las dimensiones de riesgo psicosocial en áreas urbanas y rurales con un 75% de poder estadístico. Si bien en el estudio se utilizó la versión breve del cuestionario SUSESO-ISTAS21, que permite un análisis limitado de la información, éste instrumento está basado en el Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire (COPSOQ), traducido, validado y estandarizado en castellano (ISTAS 21)(15), y considera las preguntas más relevantes y que aportan mayor información sobre la presencia de riesgos psicosociales en el trabajo, incluyendo dimensiones que permiten una comprensión más amplia de las condiciones del trabajo, y ha sido ampliamente utilizado (7). La interpretación de los resultados, dependerá de gran manera del punto de corte que se toma como referencia.…”

“…Se calcularon Odds Ratio ajustados (ORa), así como su Intervalo de confianza con 95% de confianza, a través de modelos de regresión logística multivariada para estimar la probabilidad de presentar "riesgo alto" para cada dimensión considerando si los profesores trabajan en áreas rurales. Los modelos se ajustaron por edad, sexo, grado académico más alto e ingresos, que mostraron diferencias significativas (valor p <0,05) en el análisis bivariado y han sido reportadas como variables confusoras en otros estudios (7). El análisis de sensibilidad consideró como riesgo psicosociales altos para cada dimensión a los profesores ubicados con puntajes en el tercil superior de la misma distribución de los datos.…”

“…La Organización Internacional del Trabajo define factores psicosociales, como la interacción entre el contenido del trabajo, la organización y gestión del trabajo, condiciones ambientales, habilidades y las necesidades del trabajador. Estos factores podrían favorecer o perjudicar la actividad laboral y la calidad de vida laboral de las personas (7). En Bolivia, como en otros países en desarrollo existen muy pocos incentivos para la profesión de profesor.…”