Assessment of psychosocial factors at work: A systematic review

Abstract

Abstract This paper presents a systematic review of Brazilian and international studies on the assessment of psychosocial factors, published between 2009 and 2015, with emphasis on the analysis of assessment instruments. One of the main interests of this review was to identify, in the published articles, the use of principles of Positive Psychology in the analysis of factors of prevention, promotion and health protection of workers. A total of 5,724 articles were found. Articles that were repeated or not written in Portuguese, English or Spanish were excluded. Thus, after analysis, 410 articles remained. Of these, 69 articles that dealt directly with the evaluation of psychosocial factors at work were selected. Most studies address the pathogenesis of psychosocial factors, but there is increasing number of studies that combine the analyses of pathogenic factors with motivational factors in health promotion and in the study of preserved positive aspects. We found that although the findings indicate an incipient movement concerning some protective factors (social support, creativity, engagement, etc.), there are still few studies in the Positive Psychology approach. We suggest that further studies test integrative theoretical models or stressors and motivational factors to deepen the understanding of the protective factors and positive aspects associated with psychosocial factors at work.