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Perceptions of Work-Related Stress Factors in Brazilian Public University Employees at the Beginning of the COVID-19 Pandemic

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Psychology and Covid-19 in the Americas

Abstract

This chapter analyzes the perception of workers at a federal university about work-related stress factors in the first weeks after the mandatory home office due to the Covid-19 pandemic between February and April 2020. This cross-sectional study included 898 university employees who answered a sociodemographic questionnaire and the Health Safety Executive-Indicator Tool (HSE-IT), an instrument that evaluates psychosocial risk factors and work-related stress. The sample was divided between before and after the definition of compulsory home office in the institution. Mean comparisons were performed for independent samples. Results revealed that there were significant differences in the Demand and Relationship dimensions, especially among female participants. The study identified psychosocial risks among university employees in contexts of crisis, emergency changes and remote work. Implications are discussed.

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Valls Atz, M., Remor, E. (2023). Perceptions of Work-Related Stress Factors in Brazilian Public University Employees at the Beginning of the COVID-19 Pandemic. In: Portillo, N., Morgan, M.L., Gallegos, M. (eds) Psychology and Covid-19 in the Americas. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-38502-5_7

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