Affiliations: [a]
Faculdade de Psicologia e de Ciências da Educação da Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
| [b] EPIUnit - Instituto de Saúde Pública, Universidade do Porto, Portugal
| [c] Department of Occupational Health, São João Hospital Center, Porto, Portugal
| [d] Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
Correspondence:
[*]
Address for correspondence: Elisabete Alves, ORCID Number: 0000-0002-7738-0887, Instituto de Saúde Pública – Universidade do Porto (ISPUP); Rua das Taipas n 135; 4050-600 Porto, Portugal. Tel.: +351 222 061 820; Fax: +351 222 061 821; E-mail: elisabete.alves@ispup.up.pt.
Abstract: BACKGROUND:Understanding which factors influence occupational safety and health risks is crucial to promote psychosocial risk management. OBJECTIVE:To assess the main work-related determinants of high exposure to psychosocial risk factors among Portuguese employees in the hospital setting. METHODS:Between May and July 2014, 399 employees of a public hospital completed a structured questionnaire. Psychosocial factors were assessed by the Portuguese medium length version of the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire. Age and gender adjusted odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were computed by logistic regression models. RESULTS:The highest psychosocial risks emerged in the p ersonality (53.8%), workplace demands (28.1%), and social relationships and leadership (24.4%) categories. Professionals with non-health care roles presented a higher risk in the worker-work interface (OR = 2.60;95% CI:1.02–6.62), that evaluated work insecurity, satisfaction and the work-family interface. Shift workers were exposed to a higher psychosocial risk in workplace demands (OR = 1.79;95% CI:1.10–2.91), personality (OR = 2.45;95% CI:1.36–4.41), and health and well-being (OR = 3.18; 95% CI:1.72–5.66). Non-government employees had a higher risk exposure in personality (OR = 2.20;95% CI:1.15–4.21), and those who were absent from work in personality (OR = 2.62;95% CI:1.41–4.86), and health and wellbeing (OR = 2.34;95% CI:1.27–4.31). CONCLUSIONS:Employees working in the hospital setting are vulnerable to psychosocial risk factors. Identifying those risks contributes to optimize workers' psychosocial health, increasing the effectiveness of the organization.
