The teleworkers epidemiology: impacts of telework in mental health

Abstract

This study is based on the approach of the epidemiology of work by Codo, Soratto and Vasques-Menezes (2004), and it aims at identifying psychological impacts of telework on the mental health of teleworkers. It is worth noting that mental health was taken as a variable of interest and that it was associated with three relationship dimensions that concerns mental health at work: man and nature, man and society and man with himself. 90 teleworkers answered they survey. The results show that teleworkers work especially in communication and information technology areas. The survey also shows that 33,4% of the participants telework more than 40 hours per week. The variables Importance of Labor; Worker Control over Work; Relationship with Superiors; Relationship at Work; Social Support and Commitment had scores above scale mid-point. The correlation analysis showed that psychopathological phenomena were related to the interactions that worker holds with nature, with society and themselves. The results, in general, were favorable to telework, and, except for some evidence of manic symptoms, were not identified higher rates indicating psychological distress in teleworkers.