Experiences of psychological, social and organisational work environments in occupational health service in Sweden: a cross-sectional survey

Abstract Background The aim of this study was to compare and describe different professionals’ experiences of workplace psychological and social factors in occupational health (OH) organizations in Sweden. Methods This cross-sectional study with a descriptive and comparative design included 472 respondents with common professions in the occupational health service (OHS) in Sweden. Data were collected with “The General Nordic Questionnaire for Psychological and Social Factors at Work” (QPSNordic). The professions have been compared pairwise using the Independent Samples Kruskal-Wallis test, adjusted by Bonferroni correction for multiple tests on subscales and single items and these are presented descriptively. Results The experience of the psychological and social work environment on job task measurement level differed between the professionals. Experiences on social and organizational as well as on individual measurement levels are similar between the professionals who perceive them as satisfactory. Out of the 472 respondents, 7% reported that they had seen someone being subjected to harassment and bullying at the workplace during the last six months. Conclusions The experience among the professionals differs most in the Job task measurement level. The results indicate that although different OH professionals experience psychological and social factors at work in different ways, their experiences are generally satisfactory even though harassment and bullying do exist. The research about occupational health professionals and their work environment is sparse. Further applied research is needed for the planning and development of occupational health services in Sweden.