Work Intensification and Its Effects on Mental Health: The Role of Workplace Curiosity

Work intensification is a psychosocial risk that has been increasing in recent decades and may have been accentuated after the COVID-19 pandemic. Its effects on health are negative, but they can be moderated by contextual and personal factors. The aim of this study was twofold: to analyze the effect...

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Bibliographic Details
Authors: Blanco-Donoso, Luis Manuel, Hodzic, Sabina, Garrosa, Eva, Carmona-Cobo, Isabel, Kubicek , Bettina
Format: article
Status:Versión aceptada para publicación
Publication Date:2023
Country:España
Institution:Universidad de Jaén
Repository:RUJA. Repositorio Institucional de la Producción Científica de la Universidad de Jaén
OAI Identifier:oai:dnet:ruja________::8003e4c9340899d5860e8334761ceae8
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1080/00223980.2023.2235069
https://hdl.handle.net/10953/7917
Access Level:Open access
Keyword:Work intensification
workplace curiosity
stress
anxiety
depression
Description
Summary:Work intensification is a psychosocial risk that has been increasing in recent decades and may have been accentuated after the COVID-19 pandemic. Its effects on health are negative, but they can be moderated by contextual and personal factors. The aim of this study was twofold: to analyze the effect of work intensification on workers’ stress, anxiety, and depression and to explore the role of workplace curiosity in these relationships. The study design was cross-sectional, and a total of 766 Spanish workers (58.9% female) with different occupations completed the survey. The results showed that work intensification was associated with the symptomatology of stress, anxiety, and depression, with a medium effect size. Women workers showed higher work intensification, but its association with mental health was equally strong for both genders. Workers with higher levels of the workplace curiosity dimension “stress tolerance” showed less impaired mental health in the presence of work intensification. However, workers with higher levels of the workplace curiosity dimension “deprivation sensitivity” showed more symptoms of stress, anxiety, and depression when faced with high work intensification. The results were discussed in terms of their contributions to the field of study of work intensification, the future research they could inspire, and the prevention and intervention measures they could motivate.