Demand/Control Model and Mental Health in Health Professionals: A Study in Six Latin-American Countries

Authors

  • Arturo Juárez García Centro de Investigación Transdisciplinar en Psicología, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Morelos
  • Aldo Renato Vera Calzaretta Escuela de Salud Pública, Universidad de Chile
  • César Merino Soto Profesor, Investigador, Escuela de Psicología, Universidad de San Martín de Porres
  • Viviola Gómez Ortíz Universidad de los Andes
  • Lya Feldman Universidad Simón Bolívar
  • Elena Hernández Mendoza Universidad del Rosario, ArgentinaFES UNAM Iztacala

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.14635/IPSIC.2014.108.1

Keywords:

Demand/Control, JCQ, Mental Health, GHQ, Latin-America.

Abstract

The Demand/Control Model measured utilizing the Job content questionnaire (JCQ) is perhaps the most widely used model for exploring psychosocial work conditions and their relationship to health problems. While this model is widely used in North-America and Europe, in Latin-America knowledge of the model remains almost unknown. This study
utilizes data from (N=989) health workers in six Latin-America countries (Argentine, Chile, Colombia, México, Peru and Venezuela) in which the association between variables of the Demand/Control Model and mental health disorders utilizing GHQ questionnaire in health workers is analyzed. The results show that psychological demands, control, and social support are all related to mental health controlling for demographical factors in all of the countries. However the best predictors were different depending on the country; thus control was the most important for Argentina (CRR 68.7),
demands for México (CRR 83.3) and Perú (CRR 27.6), and social support appeared to be the most important for Chile, Colombia and Venezuela (CRR= 17.7, 41.9, 57.9 respectively). The important relationship between Demand/Control variables and mental health is supported in this study. Further psychometric analyses of the JCQ exploring differential
item functioning of the scales in different Latin-American cultures are suggested.

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Author Biographies

Arturo Juárez García, Centro de Investigación Transdisciplinar en Psicología, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Morelos

Profesor Investigador Titular B

Aldo Renato Vera Calzaretta, Escuela de Salud Pública, Universidad de Chile

Profesor, Escuela de Salud Pública, Universidad de Chile

César Merino Soto, Profesor, Investigador, Escuela de Psicología, Universidad de San Martín de Porres

Departamento Investigación, Escuela de Psicología

Viviola Gómez Ortíz, Universidad de los Andes

Profesora Investigadora, Departamento Psicología

Lya Feldman, Universidad Simón Bolívar

Profesora Investigadora, Psicología

Published

2015-01-04

How to Cite

Juárez García, A., Vera Calzaretta, A. R., Merino Soto, C., Gómez Ortíz, V., Feldman, L., & Hernández Mendoza , E. (2015). Demand/Control Model and Mental Health in Health Professionals: A Study in Six Latin-American Countries. INFORMACIO PSICOLOGICA, (108), 2–18. https://doi.org/10.14635/IPSIC.2014.108.1