A systematic review of the work and mental health relationship: major approaches on the burnout syndrome

Introduction: In the context of mental health and its relationship to work, current working hours are longer and standardized. Shift work is prevalent worldwide. It is estimated that approximately 15-20% of employers use a work shift system in industrialized countries around the world. Shift work may be associated with mental health. In addition, authors have recently published a secondary analysis of data provided by the Burnout Project, Motivation and Job Satisfaction, examining the associations between unnecessary work tasks and a decrease in mental health. Objective: This paper aimed to present, through systematic review, the main considerations on the relationship between mental health and work. Methods: The present study followed a systematic review model. After criteria of literary search using MeSH Terms, a total of 54 clinical studies were collated and submitted to the eligibility analysis and, after that, 18 studies were selected, following the rules of PRISMA. The search strategy was performed in the PubMed, Embase, Ovid and Cochrane Library, Web Of Science, ScienceDirect Journals (Elsevier), Scopus (Elsevier), OneFile databases. Major Findings and Conclusion: Shift work is related to an increased risk of mental health problems in production workers, and shift work-related sleep disorders are a central mechanism for this relationship. Thus, proactive management of sleep problems can mitigate their detrimental effects on shift workers' mental health. Interventions aimed at reducing work relationship conflicts and promoting problem solving are likely to improve work-related well-being. Also, attention to improving labor resources can also be beneficial. In addition, clinical events found in the emergency room can affect a physician's psychological and physical well-being. Therefore, working long hours or irregular hours deteriorates the mental health of workers.