Psychosocial risks evaluation factors: study with higher education teachers

Objectives: The psychosocial factors as characteristics related to the conditions and organization of work, interfere with the health of employees, and the psychosocial risk situations emerge from the interactions between the employees and their life and work conditions.The objective of the study was to evaluate the psychosocial risk in higher education teachers in order to perceive the teaching profession as a risk profession in terms of physical and mental exhaustion, given their continued exposure to psychosocial risk situations. Method: The study consisted of the administration of two instruments, one for the characterization of the sample and the other for assessing psychosocial risk factors — the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire — consisting of 76 items (5-point Likert scale), distributed in five dimensions, which measure indicators of exposure to psychosocial risks and their effects. Results: The study included 59 teachers, mostly men (50.8%), aged between 41 - 50 years (45.8%), with master's degree (59%), assistant professors (47.5%); with a stable employment relationship (68%), years of service between 14-17 years (18.7%) and teaching between 11 - 17 hours a week (64.4%). The analysis of the various subscales revealed a psychosocial risk, showing that teachers are in a situation of vulnerability. There were significant differences between the risks experienced in public higher education and those experienced in private higher education. Gender, age, academic background, and professional category influenced the type of psychosocial risk. Conclusions: The study confirms the importance of the evaluation of psychosocial risk factors in the exercise of the teaching profession in higher education. It is recognized that it is necessary to assess and manage psychosocial risks in order to promote healthy working conditions, ensure respect and fair treatment, and encourage the promotion of work / family life balance, in order to minimize psychosocial risks and situations of vulnerability in higher education teachers