Psychosocial Occupational Health—A Priority for Middle-Income Countries?

Abstract

In response to new developments of work and employment in high-income countries (HICs), psychosocial aspects of work and health have received increased attention. In contrast, middle-income countries (MICs) are mainly concerned with severe challenges of noxious- and dangerous-material work environments, poor employment conditions, and deficient social policies, which leaves the psychosocial aspects with a marginal role, at best, in occupational health. More recently, differences between these two worlds were even aggravated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet, with economic globalisation and the growing worldwide interconnectivity, the world of work in MICs is being rapidly transformed, starting to share several concerns with the modern Western societies. In this process, psychosocial occupational health will become an increasingly pressing issue. This contribution explores the extent to which psychosocial aspects of work and health are already addressed in research originating from MICs. Using a narrative review approach, a selective focus on recent findings from two regions, Asia Pacific and Latin America, revealed an increasing interest in work stress-related problems, but a restricted impact of the respective research findings. It is hoped that future scientific developments in MICs will enrich the international state of the art in this field.