Hello! we believe that at this point in the course you are already able to identify how and when work can be the producer of pleasure or health at work, or, on the other hand, when work can produce suffering and illness at work. But are you able to identify, in the context of work, what factors are present in the organization of work and which ones can directly affect mental health?
Well, this is the theme of video 21. We will address these factors, called psychosocial factors, which are present at work and are related to mental health. But first, an observation: we are going to talk about psychosocial factors and also, about psychosocial risk factors.
Although it is recurring that these terms are synonymous, in fact, they are not synonyms, there is a difference there. And then, before we proceed, we must understand this difference. So, what are psychosocial factors?
Essentially, they are the conditions present in work situations related to the organization, hierarchy, task performance, and the environment that affect the work activity, as well as the workers’ quality of life and health. These factors are essentially related to the interaction of the individual with their surroundings. These psychosocial factors can be favorable to the workers’ health and development, but they can also be unfavorable to the workers’ health and development.
when harmful, these psychosocial factors are referred to as psychosocial risk factors. We will now look at some of the main psychosocial factors present at work which must be analyzed and evaluated as a basis for the decision-making and planning of interventions that promote the workers’ health and well-being at the job. So, among the risk factors at work, we can list: Hierarchy and leadership; Work content; Workload, rhythm, and working hours; Control.
The level of control or autonomy; Environment and equipment; The culture and organizational function; Interpersonal relationships at work; The role within the organization; Career development; And, work-life balance. Psychosocial risk factors, as I said, are those factors present at work that somehow negatively influence physical, mental, and relational health, as well as performance at work. As these risk factors are harmful or prejudicial, they are certainly predictive of future harm and therefore, must be the subject of careful analysis and evaluation in order to plan and promote interventions aimed at promoting health.
Among the psychosocial risk factors present at work, we can mention: Lack of control or autonomy; Excessive workload and working hours; Underload, which refers to monotonous work, has a low demand, and doesn't require much creativity; The pressure for productivity; Intense, fast-paced rhythm; The distance between hierarchical levels, i. e. , that kind of relationship between hierarchical levels which is not very democratic, that doesn't have much dialogue or partnership; Alternating shifts; Communication problems; Ambiguity and overload of roles, those situations in which the worker performs several tasks and roles at the same time; the presence of violence, such as moral harassment; Social isolation within the work environment; Interpersonal conflicts; Strong emotional demands - this is characteristic of certain jobs, such as healthcare work for example; Precarious work contracts and job insecurity regarding employment.
So, there are several factors that we need to observe that constitute the risk of mental illness. So, that's it for now. We looked at the main psychosocial risk factors at work that require the attention of healthcare professionals, and managers, so that based on the analysis of these factors, strategies can be developed to prevent mental illness and promote workers' mental health.
