Work Intensity as a Risk Factor for Burnout, Anxiety and Depressive Disorders in Various Occupational Cohorts: A Literature Review

Abstract

Introduction: Under current conditions of work intensification and introduction of information and communication technologies, there arise risks of developing the syndrome of emotional burnout, anxiety and depressive disorders among workers in various occupational cohorts. Objective: To analyze scientific publications and to establish the prevalence of psychological and emotional problems among people working under conditions of increased work intensity in order to identify predisposing factors, determine occupational cohorts at risk, and prevent burnout, anxiety and depressive disorders. Materials and methods: A scientific review of studies published in 2005–2022 in the Russian and English languages was carried out using such information platforms and databases as eLIBRARY.ru, Web of Science, PubMed, and Scopus. The search terms included work intensity, burnout syndrome, anxiety disorders, and depression. We chose prospective studies, in which neuropsychic stress at the workplace was assessed as an occupational health risk. Of 282 search results, 51 publications on psychological and emotional ill-being posed by neuropsychic overstrain were found eligible for inclusion in this review. Results: We established a high prevalence of psychological and emotional problems among workers in various occupational cohorts, including nurses, medical doctors of various specialties, teachers, psychologists, journalists, athletes, policemen and penitentiary police officers, emergency service members. Features of clinical manifestations of burnout symptoms, anxiety and depressive disorders in workers experiencing increased tension were discussed. Our findings showed that psychosocial risk factors for burnout, anxiety and depressive disorders were role uncertainty, role conflict, role stress, stressful events, workload, and pressure at work, and that burnout was associated with various non-occupational diseases. Conclusion: We highlight the necessity of assessing psychosocial factors at workplaces and screening for psychological and emotional disorders of employees for early diagnosis of burnout and related conditions and elimination of their negative outcomes at the individual and societal levels. We propose introduction of the international COPSOQ tool (the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire) into domestic healthcare practice to conduct a comprehensive individual assessment of psychosocial factors and to facilitate timely and appropriate preventive measures at work.