Psychosocial risks and work ability among health workers throughout the COVID-19 pandemic: a longitudinal follow-up study, Brazil, 2020–2023

Abstract

Objective: To compare health workers and non-health-related workers in terms of psychosocial risks and work ability over a 36-month follow-up period. Methods: This was a prospective longitudinal study. Participants completed a sociodemographic questionnaire, the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire II, and the work ability index. Data were analyzed descriptively using absolute and relative frequencies and 95% confidence intervals (95%CI). Chi-square and Cochran's tests were used for inter- and intra-group comparisons. Results: A total of 1,211 workers participated in 2020, including 219 health workers and 992 non-health-related workers. In that year, three out of four health workers experienced high emotional demands (75.8%; 95%CI 69.7; 81.0%), poor self-rated health (14.6%; 95%CI 10.5; 19.9%), burnout (83.1%; 95%CI 77.6; 87.5%), unwanted sexual attention (11.0%; 95%CI 7.5; 15.8%), threats of violence (19.6%; 95%CI 14.9; 25.4%), and physical violence (2.3%; 95%CI 1.0; 5.2%). In 2023, emotional demands (71.4%; 95%CI 60.5; 80.3%) and threats of violence (18.2%; 95%CI 11.1; 28.2%) remained elevated. Work ability remained stable in both groups. The frequency of classification was good in 2020 (44.3 and 49.9), 2021 (52.5 and 46.2), 2022 (45.7 and 50.4), and 2023 (46.6 and 43.3) among health workers and non-health-related workers, respectively. Conclusion: Healthcare professionals were exposed to psychosocial risks during the pandemic, mainly emotional demands and threats of violence, which indicates a need for intervention in the workplace.