Occupational Health Psychology (OHP) is a multidisciplinary field that studies the relationship between work and health. It is a branch of psychology that is concerned with worker health and safety. It combines principles and methods from psychology, public health, and occupational health to understand how the workplace environment affects employees’ physical and mental well-being. The primary goal is to promote and maintain worker health and safety, improve the quality of work life, and increase organizational effectiveness.
The impact of occupational stressors on physical and mental health, the impact of involuntary unemployment on physical and mental health, work-family balance, workplace violence and other forms of mistreatment, psychosocial workplace factors that affect accident risk and safety, and interventions designed to improve and/or protect worker health are among the major topics addressed by OHP.
Although OHP evolved from two distinct disciplines within applied psychology, namely, health psychology and industrial and organizational psychology, the psychology establishment, including leaders of industrial/organizational psychology, rarely dealt with occupational stress and employee health for a long time, necessitating the emergence of OHP.
Key aspects of Occupational Health Psychology include:
- Stress and Burnout: OHP explores the sources of stress in the workplace and how chronic exposure to stressors can lead to burnout, which can have adverse effects on both mental and physical health.
- Work-Life Balance: Research in this field examines how the demands of work can affect individuals’ ability to balance their work and personal lives, and how this balance, or lack thereof, can impact health and well-being.
- Workplace Interventions: Occupational Health Psychologists develop and evaluate interventions to improve the working conditions and overall well-being of employees. This can include stress management programs, wellness initiatives, and organizational changes.
- Occupational Safety: OHP focuses on workplace safety and the prevention of occupational injuries and illnesses. This includes researching the effects of working conditions on physical health and developing strategies to improve safety.
- Health Promotion: The field is concerned with promoting healthy behaviors and lifestyles among employees, both inside and outside of the workplace. This could include physical activity, nutrition, and mental health interventions.
Occupational Health Psychology is becoming increasingly important as workplaces evolve and the nature of work shifts. According to the World Health Organization and the International Labour Organization, long working hours cause an estimated 745,000 workers to die from ischemic heart disease and stroke in 2016, which is mediated by occupational stress.
