The work as a cause of stress so strong that it puts a strain on mental health. A growing phenomenon, which affects Italy as a whole – with Taranto and Puglia being no exception. To tell the dark side of work It’s an interesting analysis ofUnobravo Observatoryan online psychology startup that aims to break down the stigma around mental health issues and to create a world in which going to the psychologist is considered normal.
There are more and more people in Italy who declare psychological suffering related to work. The data highlights this Inail relating to the first quarter of 2024 which shows that, compared to the same period of 2023, reports of occupational diseases linked to mental and behavioral disorders increased by 17.9%. Burnout, stress, frustration, psychological disorders: The “work-sick”. Struggling to balance personal and work life, frustration at a lack of professional growth, excessive or uncommensurate loads for one’s role and experience, a hostile environment and mobbing are just some of the difficulties that workers may find themselves facing in their professional career. If not treated and resolved, these can be a source of stress and psychological disorders and, in some cases, lead to burnout syndrome.
Psychological distress related to work manifests itself in various forms and is widespread in many sectors, affecting a large portion of Italian workers.
This is also revealed by the data collected by Unobravo: people experiencing discomfort at work increased by 109.7% in the first quarter of 2024, compared to the same period in 2023. In particular, over a quarter (28.3%) of users who turned to Unobravo in search of psychological support declare that they have difficulties on a professional front. Of these, 57.3% show suffering generated by work and 10% attribute the main difficulties they face in everyday life to the workplace.
The analysis, conducted on a sample of Unobravo’s user base, contributes to the overview of psychological distress related to work in Italy, and can be useful in raising people’s awareness of the importance of specialist support in case of difficulty. The study shows the regions and provinces where people are located who are suffering psychological consequences from situations related to the professional context and who, also for this reason, choose to undertake a path with a specialist. The study also made it possible to identify the percentage of people who, among those seeking support, could be at risk burnout in Italy.
The data on work-related psychological distress processed by Unobravo refers to a sample of over 82,000 people, part of Unobravo’s user base. The data from the burnout screening test processed by Unobravo refer to a sample of over 11,500 people.
Those who suffer from stress working in Italy
At a national level, according to data analyzed by Unobravo, the majority of people seeking psychological support for work-related problems are women (66.3%, compared to 33.7% of men). This data aligns with those released by Inail in the 2023 report, from which it emerges that mental disorders linked to the professional sphere affect female workers in particular: out of the total illnesses reported by women, those linked to the psychological sphere represent 1.3%, compared to 0.5% recorded by the male counterpart. Furthermore, the data analyzed by Unobravo highlights that over half of the requests for psychological support come from people in the first phase of their career: 62.9% are between 25 and 34 years old, while over a fifth (22.8% ) is between 35 and 44 years old. Problems become less frequent among the very young, with those aged between 18 and 24 representing 6.4%, and among those aged between 45 and 60 (7.2%).
Psychological well-being and work: the regions more dissatisfied
Problems related to well-being at work are particularly felt in the Northern regions, where 60% of requests for psychological support for situations related to the professional context come from, while 21.2% come from those in the Center and 18.8% from South and from the larger islands.
Work stress, alarming data
From the point of view of the individual regions, the majority of people are concentrated in the two most populous in Italy: Lombardy (27%) and Lazio (10.6%), followed by Emilia-Romagna (9.4%), Veneto (8.9%) and Piedmont (8.6%), areas that host the headquarters of numerous industrial entities and Italian and international companies from a wide range of sectors. In the South, the highest percentages are recorded in Campania (5.6%), Sicily (4.3%) and Puglia (4.2%). At provincial level, the majority of people who declare having psychological problems related to work in the Apulian area are in Bari (38.8%), followed by Lecce (17.1%), Taranto (13.8%), Foggia (11.4%), Brindisi (10.2%) and Barletta-Andria-Trani (8.7%). the categories most affected by work stress in Puglia are women (64.1%) and young people (66.5%).
The data analyzed by Unobravo show an Italy in which requests for support for work-related psychological problems are increasing (a trend that was also recorded last year when, compared to 2022, they grew by 106.1%), but growth is not homogeneous. Compared to the first four months of 2023, in fact, in the first four months of 2024 three regions show an increase significantly above the Italian average, attested, as anticipated, to 109.7%: this is in particular Piedmont (+146.7 %), Sicily (+145.8%) and Campania (+141.7%). Among those below the national figure, however, are Lombardy (+95.9%), Sardinia (+96.2%) and Emilia-Romagna (+99.7%). Puglia? In 2023, people experiencing psychological distress at work had increased by 128.3% compared to the previous year. In the first four months of 2024, a growth of 100.6% emerges compared to the same period of 2023, with 28.1% of Apulian people in difficulty.
Work stress in Italy: the provinces most affected
According to data collected by Unobravo, considering the individual Italian provinces, the greatest percentage of those who declare they have psychological problems related to the work sphere is found in Milan (13.2%), followed by the Metropolitan City of Rome, where 8.2% of the requests are concentrated. Followed by Turin (4.9%), Bologna (3.4%), Naples (2.9%), Monza and Brianza (2.4%), Varese (2.1%), Bergamo (2%), Padua and Brescia (both 1.9%).
Work-related stress: what it is, symptoms and causes
Among the main psychological problems related to the professional sphere is work-related stress (SIc), defined by UNICE/UEAPME, CEEP and CES as “a condition that can be accompanied by disorders or dysfunctions of a physical, psychological or social nature” and which can be caused by aspects related to the organization and the working environment. Among the main symptoms are excessive tiredness, both physical and mental and often apparently unmotivated, demotivation and a sense of inability and inadequacy. The causes can be multiplefrom those of a relational nature – due to problematic relationships with colleagues, superiors and collaborators, who in turn could Bring to lack of empathy or emotional intelligence – to those of an organizational nature, both from the corporate point of view (effective communication, workload, timetables…) and from the point of view of the individual and the way in which he manages his own work and time. The workplace climate and flow of activities can also lead to becoming workaholicor “work-dependent”, a condition which in turn can cause work-related stress.
Among the possible causes of work-related stress is also included mobbinga practice defined as “vexatious and persecutory”, implemented by colleagues or superiors, which can result in “psychological terror” and affect job satisfaction.
If not correctly and promptly treated, work-related stress can lead to various psychophysical disorders – such as cognitive difficulties and sleep, eating and anxiety disorders – and to manifestations of mental disorders of varying degrees, such as burnout. It therefore becomes essential to ask for help from a professional to alleviate the state of psychological suffering.
Burnout Syndrome: what it is, symptoms and causes
When work-related stress continues over time, burnout syndrome can occur, the result of a correlation of environmental, organizational, relational and individual causes.
The condition knows no age or sector and involves an ever-increasing number of workers. For example, among those who fear suffering from syndrome burnout in Italy and who took the free screening test available on Unobravo to evaluate it, eight out of ten could be at risk (82.9%): 61.6%, in fact, have a high probability of suffering from it and over a fifth ( 21.3%) a moderate probability.
The condition is characterized by symptoms of different nature: psychological, such as irritability, decreased motivation, sense of inadequacy, disinterest, anxiety and fear of changing jobs; somatic and physical, including headaches, ulcers, gastrointestinal and skin disorders; nonspecific, such as excessive tiredness, apathy, decreased sexual desire and sleep and appetite disorders. Burnout usually develops in four distinct phases: enthusiasm and unrealistic expectations, which can lead to work addiction; stagnation, due to the disappointment of expectations; frustration and anger; disengagement and apathy. Recognizing these phases can allow you to intervene promptly and implement some strategies including: creating boundaries between personal and working life, taking breaks, reorganizing your work, rebalancing the relationship with employers, collaborators and colleagues.
To prevent burnout or overcome the syndrome, another key aspect can be the support of a psychologist or psychotherapist.
