Publication
Psychosocial Risk and Engagement in Early Childhood Professionals: Insights from a Regional Portuguese Study
| datacite.subject.fos | Ciências Médicas::Ciências da Saúde | |
| dc.contributor.author | São João, Ricardo | |
| dc.contributor.author | Mendes, Nélia | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2025-10-14T13:14:44Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2025-10-14T13:14:44Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2025-07-10 | |
| dc.description.abstract | Introduction: The European Agency for Safety and Health at Work recognizes psychosocial risks in the workplace as a major threat to workers' health and safety. Work engagement has emerged as a strong predictor of performance and productivity. Therefore, it is crucial to investigate these concepts among professionals from the Local Early Intervention Teams (LEI) of the National Early Childhood Intervention System (SNIPI) within the Lisbon and Tagus Valley Regional Subcommittee (SCRLVT), who are often exposed to high work demands. This study aimed to identify psychosocial risks and engagement levels, analyze variations according to sociodemographic and professional characteristics, examine differences across engagement dimensions, and explore the relationship between psychosocial risks and engagement. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 468 professionals from the ELIs of SCRLVT during November and December 2024, using an online questionnaire comprising three instruments: a sociodemo-graphic questionnaire, the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire III (COPSOQ III), and the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES-9), both validated for the Portuguese population. Psychosocial risk and work engagement levels were assessed, as well as their correlation. Additionally, associations between sociodemo-graphic and professional variables and these constructs were analysed. Finally, post hoc analysis was performed to compare the domains of UWES-9. Results: The response rate was 22.20% (n=103), with a predominantly female sample. High psychosocial risk levels were found in cognitive (90.29%) and emotional demands (81.55%). Health and well-being domains showed moderate risk, while others exhibited low risk. Overall work engagement was moderate, with Absorption standing out at a high level (M = 4.46). Post hoc tests revealed significant differences between Dedication and Vigor (p = 0.005). A significant negative correlation was found between global psychosocial risk and engagement (p < 0.001; ρ = -0.536), with relevant associations with sociodemographic and professional variables. Conclusions: This study identified a significant relationship between psychosocial risks and work engagement among ELI professionals at SCRLVT, with higher risks associated with lower engagement. Positive aspects, such as the perceived meaning of work and high Absorption levels, were also highlighted. Macro, organizational, and individual-level measures are suggested to promote well-being and engagement. This research is pioneering within this professional group and contributes to the validation of COPSOQ III in Portugal, despite limitations such as a low response rate and the scarcity of comparable studies. | por |
| dc.identifier.citation | São João, R. & Mendes, N. (2025). Psychosocial risk and engagement in early childhood professionals : insights from a regional portuguese study. Journal of Statistics of Health Decision, 7(1). https://doi.org/10.34624/jshd.v7i1.40516 | |
| dc.identifier.doi | https://doi.org/10.34624/jshd.v7i1.40516 | |
| dc.identifier.issn | 2184-5794 | |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/10400.15/5879 | |
| dc.language.iso | eng | |
| dc.peerreviewed | yes | |
| dc.publisher | University of Aveiro (UA) ; Hospital Center of Baixo Vouga (CHBV) | |
| dc.relation | UID/00006/2025 | |
| dc.relation | UIDB/00006/2020 | |
| dc.relation.hasversion | https://proa.ua.pt/index.php/jshd/index | |
| dc.rights.uri | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ | |
| dc.subject | Psychosocial Factors | |
| dc.subject | Job Satisfaction | |
| dc.subject | Occupational Health | |
| dc.subject | Early Childhood Personnel | |
| dc.subject | Early Intervention | |
| dc.title | Psychosocial Risk and Engagement in Early Childhood Professionals: Insights from a Regional Portuguese Study | eng |
| dc.type | periodical | |
| dspace.entity.type | Publication | |
| oaire.citation.title | Journal of Statistics of Health Decision | |
| oaire.version | http://purl.org/coar/version/c_970fb48d4fbd8a85 |