Organizational work stress interventions in a theoretical, methodological and practical context

Este artigo discute uma série de questões metodológicas e teóricas relacionadas à pesquisa no campo da intervenção em fatores psicossociais do trabalho. Essas intervenções podem ocorrer em diferentes níveis, do individual ao nível macro da sociedade. Além disso, as intervenções podem ser primárias (redução de estressores no trabalho), secundárias (redução de estresse, burnout etc.) e terciárias (redução das conseqüências de longo prazo do estresse relacionado ao trabalho). Até aqui, a maior parte das pesquisas nesse campo têm ocorrido no nível individual e costumam ser dos tipos secudário e terciário. Isso se explica pela preferência por esse tipo de intervenção que gestores e psicólogos tiveram no passado. A atividade de pesquisa nesse campo expandiu-se e aperfeiçoou-se nos últimos anos, mas alguns desafios ainda permanecem. Alguns dos problemas mais importantes são: 1) Falta de análise apropriada; 2) Desenhos de intervenção pobres; 3) Problemas com viés de seleção e com fatores de confusão; 4) Pouca distinção entre estudos etiológicos e de viabilidade. Os autores enfatizam que questões práticas relacionadas a fatores estruturais, econômicos, legais e psicológicos no local de trabalho freqüentemente impõem restrições aos pesquisadores, o que significa que são forçados a aceitar desenhos de intervenção e períodos de acompanhamento menos adequados do que aqueles que seriam desejáveis. Na conclusão, recomendam para a futura pesquisa em intervenção o uso de estudos de múltiplos casos.This article deals with a number of methodological and theoretical questions in connection with intervention research in the field of psychosocial factors at work. These interventions can take place at different levels from the individual to the macro level of society. Also, the interventions can be primary (reducing stressors at work), secondary (reducing stress, burnout, etc.) and tertiary (reducing the long term consequences of work-related stress). Most research in this field has so far has been at the individual level and of the secondary/tertiary type. This is explained by the fact that both managers and psychologists have preferred this type of intervention in the past. The research activity in the field has been expanding and improving during the last years, but a number of challenges still remain. Some of the important problems are: 1) Lack of a proper analysis; 2) Poor intervention designs; 3) Problems with selection and confounding factors; 4) Poor distinction between aetiological and feasibility studies. It is emphasized that practical issues relating to structural, economic, legal and psychological factors at the workplace often will put restrictions on the researcher, which means that less than optimal designs and follow-up periods has to be accepted. In the conclusion the authors recommend the use of multiple case studies in future intervention research

Sickness absence and work strain among Danish slaughterhouse workers: An analysis of absence from work regarded as coping behaviour

This paper comprises two parts: a theoretical part in which a number of theoretical and methodological recommendations about research on absence are made on the basis of a review of selected literature, and an empirical part that contains analyses of absence from work in the Danish slaughterhouse industry. In the theoretical part it is asserted that sickness absence cannot be understood if it is viewed as a simple function of ill health or other individual factors, such as job dissatisfaction. Absence should rather be regarded as a coping behaviour that reflects an individual's perception of his/her health (illness) and is a function of a number of factors at different levels, primarily the combination of job demands and coping possibilities at the job (job strain). Several ideal methodological requirements regarding absence research are formulated on this basis. The empirical part presents an analysis of absence from work in the Danish slaughterhouse industry based on a study of 4407 slaughterhouse workers. It is shown that a number of factors at the company level, the job level and the individual level are associated with an individual's absence from work over a 12-month period. It is further shown that people with high job strain have a significantly higher absence rate, that there is a clear association between sickness absence and perceived health and that absence is part of a pattern along with other coping strategies which are directed against stressing working conditions and perceived ill health. Lastly, it is discussed whether absence from work is a functional coping strategy.absence from work coping behaviour slaughterhouse workers job strain