A qualitative study of young workers’ experience of the psychosocial work environment and how this affects their mental health

Abstract

Abstract Background The evidence base for the relationship between psychosocial work factors and mental health focuses primarily on the general working population but little is known about young workers. The aim of this qualitative study is to identify psychosocial work factors that affect the mental health of young workers, with a focus on (1) novel factors of the psychosocial work environment that are relevant for young workers but have not been described in the literature and (2) experiences of psychosocial work factors associated with mental health that are specific to and typical for young workers. Methods Semi-structured interviews were held with 36 workers aged up to 30. Participants were asked to describe work situations that affected their mental health. Factors were identified using a combination of inductive and deductive coding and open-coded factors were mapped onto the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire (COPSOQ), which is widely used as a framework for psychosocial work factors. Results Most of the psychosocial factors mentioned by the young workers could be mapped onto the COPSOQ framework and were therefore similar to the general working population. Novel factors identified by this study were “Procedural support” and “Responsibility for others”. We also identified young-worker-specific experiences of psychosocial work factors associated with mental health (i.e. Quantitative Demands, Influence at Work, Commitment to the Workplace, Job Insecurity, Quality of work, Job satisfaction, and Vertical Trust). Lastly, young workers did not report the COPSOQ factor Insecurity over working conditions and Work-life conflict was reported as an indicator of mental health status rather than being perceived as a factor of the psychosocial work environment. Conclusions Psychosocial work factors and their influence on mental health reported by young workers in this qualitative study are comparable to what is reported for the general working population. There are however some young-worker-specific experiences of psychosocial work factors and two novel factors. The novel factors, “Procedural support” and “Responsibility for others” are not found in common psychosocial work factor frameworks and might be studied specifically in relation to young workers. Our results provide organisations with levers that can be used to create a psychosocial work environment that benefits the mental health of young workers.

Keywords

• Mental health
• Young workers
• Psychosocial work factors
• Interview study