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Challenges and Sustainability of Occupational Health

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A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Psychology of Sustainability and Sustainable Development".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (1 February 2023) | Viewed by 6403

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Special Issue Editor

Dr. Nada Marić

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Guest Editor

Institute of Occupational Health and Sports Medicine Republic of Srpska and Medical Faculty, University of Banja Luka, 78000 Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Interests: burnout syndrome; mental health; occupational health

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The COVID-19 pandemic since late 2019 is a global challenge and threat that has significant health, economic, financial and cultural implications across the world. The COVID-19 pandemic provoked a prolonged crisis and also challenged occupational health services.

This Special Issue aims to provide answers to today’s major challenges to protect the safety and health of all workers. Occupational health services, mental health and psychosocial support, adequate sanitation, and hygiene and rest facilities should be provided to all workers. Other occupational risks amplified by the COVID-19 pandemic, including violence, harassment, burnout, stigma, discrimination, heavy workload and prolonged use of personal protective equipment, should be addressed. This Special Issue aims at bringing together all the outstanding ideas in recent times in order to provide a forum for sharing research, experiences and reflection on occupational health challenges in this crisis. We welcome papers that either provide empirical studies or theoretical discussion.

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has drawn attention to the importance of the protection of workers, emphasizing the need to ensure that the occupational safety and health of workers is a priority. “Challenges and sustainability of Occupational Health” will be an opportunity to support and engaged occupational health services in light of the recent COVID-19 emergency.

Dr. Nada Marić
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

occupational health
occupational risks
workers
safety and health
COVID-19

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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18 pages, 293 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Prevalence and Factors Associated with Mental Health Problems among Essential and Nonessential Workers during the COVID-19 Pandemic, June 2021, in an Unstable and Developing Country: A Cross-Sectional Study

by Nada Marić, Aleksandar Popović, Sonja Peričević Medić, Milorad Španović and Nataša Maksimović

Sustainability 2023, 15(6), 5365; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15065365 - 17 Mar 2023

Viewed by 1396

Abstract

The two main goals of this research were to assess workers’ mental health (anxiety, depression, and job burnout syndrome) and examine factors related to mental health burdens in two groups of workers. The study was conducted as an online cross-sectional study. The target population consists of workers in essential activities who worked during the pandemic (health, defense, trade, finance, and media), as well as a group of workers who were particularly impacted by the protection measures and either worked under a different regime or were unable to work (caterers, musicians). A questionnaire was constructed for the needs of this research and the scales for anxiety, depression, and burnout syndrome were used. In total, 42.2% of non-essential workers and 39.5% of essential workers reported anxiety symptoms, circa 20% of non-essential activity workers and essential activity workers reported depression, and 28.9% of non-essential activity workers and 33.7% of essential activity workers reported burnout. A significant association has been found between certain sociodemographic and health characteristics of respondents, as well as financial stress (worry about losing a job), social stress, media stress, and respondents’ trust in competent authorities and COVID-19 prevention measures, and symptoms of anxiety, depression, and burnout syndrome. The findings of this study pointed to mental health issues in other activities and highlighted the need for and importance of examining mental health in the population of non-essential activities. It is indicative of significant points that can be investigated in the future for prevention. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Challenges and Sustainability of Occupational Health)

11 pages, 247 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Occupational Risk of Technostress Related to the Use of ICT among Teachers in Spain

by María del Carmen Rey-Merchán and Antonio López-Arquillos

Sustainability 2022, 14(14), 8746; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14148746 - 18 Jul 2022

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 1570

Abstract

Teachers are frequently exposed to several occupational risks. The continuous use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) represents a potential source of technostress among teachers. The aim of the current research is to evaluate the technostress levels of school and high school teachers in Spain. The methodology applied in the manuscript, namely the staticized group technique was based on an expert panel. Results showed high levels of technostress in both dimensions (techno-anxiety and techno-fatigue). Experts highlighted the relationship between administrative tasks and technostress. More rational and efficient distribution of the workload associated with administrative obligations of the teachers, could reduce the level of technostress in the education sector. Results from the current research can help to improve working conditions of teachers considering the findings to design preventive strategies adapted to the profile of teachers and their organization. Some policy interventions such as occupational safety training, institutional technical support, and computer training programs could reduce the levels of technostress and mitigate associated negative impacts concerning the occupational health of teachers. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Challenges and Sustainability of Occupational Health)

Review

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22 pages, 1066 KiB

Open AccessReview

Work Stress as a Consequence of the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Systematic Review

by Roberto Carlos Dávila Morán, Juan Manuel Sánchez Soto, Henri Emmanuel López Gómez, Flor Carolina Espinoza Camus, Justiniano Felix Palomino Quispe, Lindomira Castro Llaja, Zoila Rosa Díaz Tavera and Fernando Martin Ramirez Wong

Sustainability 2023, 15(6), 4701; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15064701 - 7 Mar 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2774

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to explore the works and existing scientific information in the databases on work stress during the COVID-19 pandemic. The specific objectives were: to determine the approaches addressed by research on work stress and to analyze the main results achieved. The study was of a documentary type, with a bibliographic design, framed in a systematic review. The articles indexed in the Web of Science and Scopus databases were reviewed, considering the keywords and search limits: work stress, pandemic and COVID-19, published between 2020 and 2022; obtaining 161 articles. The inclusion criteria were applied: original articles, dealing with the subject, in English and with open access; leaving a sample of 22 publications, presented according to a PRISMA diagram. The main approaches addressed were: work stress, working life and remote work; work stress in health workers; work stress in agricultural workers; job stress in restaurant workers; work stress in teaching workers; work stress in prison workers and work stress, depression and anxiety. The results reveal that the workers who experienced the greatest work stress were those in the health sector, considering the latent risk of contagion for being the front-line personnel in care. Consequently, it was determined that the impact of resilience and social support can help minimize this condition. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Challenges and Sustainability of Occupational Health)

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