Psychosocial Risk Assessment in Occupational Health

Psychosocial risk assessment encompasses the systematic identification and evaluation of work‐related factors that have the potential to harm employees’ psychological and physical well‐being. Such factors include excessive workload, lack of autonomy, poor social support, unclear role expectations and effort–reward imbalances. Over recent decades a range of theoretical frameworks—most notably the Job Demands–Resources model and the Effort–Reward Imbalance model—has guided the development of robust survey instruments. These tools enable practitioners to map dimensions such as demands, control, support, leadership quality and work–life conflict. The insights generated inform the design of targeted interventions, from organisational re‐design and leadership training to stress management programmes, thereby mitigating risk and enhancing resilience. Global adoption of standardised measures facilitates cross‐sector benchmarking and supports evidence‐based policy for employee health and safety.

Research from Nature Portfolio

A recent validation study introduced a concise self‐assessment survey for dental professionals, offering a reliable four‐dimension instrument covering work demands and well‐being, ergonomics, safety and risk prevention, and worker protection. The work demonstrates strong construct validity and internal consistency, indicating its suitability for large‐scale use in healthcare contexts. The instrument’s streamlined format supports efficient psychosocial risk screening and underscores the value of adapting standard frameworks to specialised occupational settings.

Psychosocial Risk Assessment in Occupational Health publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in psychosocial risk assessment in occupational health across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Psychosocial risk factors: Aspects of work design and social environment that may cause psychological or physical harm.

Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire (COPSOQ): A comprehensive survey instrument for assessing multiple dimensions of the psychosocial work environment.

Job Demands–Resources (JD-R) model: A theoretical framework linking job demands and job resources to employee health, burnout and engagement.

Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA): A statistical method for uncovering the underlying structure of survey items.

Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA): A statistical technique used to test whether data fit a hypothesised measurement model.

Benchmarking: Establishing reference values for comparison of psychosocial risk measures across populations or sectors.

References

1. Modification of the COPSOQ adapted for the IT sector – a journey of validation and insight for futures research, prognosis global risks. European Journal of Futures Research (2024).
2. Validation of an instrument to measure the perception of occupational safety and health among Peruvian dentists. Scientific Reports (2025).
3. Validation and benchmarks for the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire (COPSOQ III) in an Australian working population sample. BMC Public Health (2025).
4. Correlations between well-being of nurses and psychosocial working conditions – a descriptive cross-sectional study. Frontiers in Public Health (2024).