Workplace Interventions Aiming to Improve Psychosocial Work Factors and Related Health

Abstract

Workplace interventions aiming to improve work environment characteristics, including psychosocial work factors, have been widely recommended to improve workers’ health. This chapter presents: (i) evidences regarding the effects of interventions aiming to reduce adverse psychosocial work factors and related health problems, (ii) quality criteria required to conduct solid intervention research in this area, (iii) three psychosocial workplace intervention studies meeting most of these quality criteria, and (iv) public health policies aiming to help reduce adverse psychosocial work factors. Overall, psychosocial workplace intervention studies have led to inconsistent findings. However, a better understanding of the methodological quality, content and context of these interventions could contribute to explain their varying effectiveness. The three high quality psychosocial workplace intervention studies presented in this chapter observed improvements of both psychosocial work factors and health outcomes. Solid psychosocial workplace interventions appear to be promising approaches and could lead to significant health benefits.