psychosocial risks

Psychosocial risks are an important occupational health concern and may be associated with emotional exhaustion through psychological mechanisms related to employees’ appraisal of adverse working conditions. This secondary analysis used a quantitative, cross-sectional design and data from 458 university employees to examine the mediating role of perceived stress and the moderating role of resilience in the association between psychosocial risks and emotional exhaustion. Correlation, mediation, and moderation analyses were performed, with bootstrap estimation based on 10,000 resamples. Greater psychosocial risk was associated with higher perceived stress and emotional exhaustion, whereas resilience was associated with lower perceived stress. Perceived stress partially mediated the association between psychosocial risks and emotional exhaustion, accounting for approximately 32.5% of the total association. The stress–resilience interaction was statistically significant in the unadjusted model, although its incremental contribution was small (ΔR² = 0.004); after adjustment for sociodemographic and occupational covariates, the interaction retained a similar direction but did not reach conventional statistical significance (p = 0.058). The model accounted for 59.6% of the variance in emotional exhaustion. Given the cross-sectional design, these findings represent statistical associations and do not establish temporal or causal relationships. The results support considering organizational psychosocial conditions, perceived stress, and resilience jointly when examining occupational well-being among university employees.

Background Warship crews live and work for extended periods in confined spaces, separated from their families and exposed to high operational demands. While psychosocial risks in naval and maritime work are increasingly documented, little is known about how sailors collectively organize, regulate, and adapt their daily activity aboard combat vessels. To our knowledge, no psychological study has documented collective activity in situ aboard a French warship. Objective Document sailors’ professional practices, collective dynamics, and psychosocial aspects in situ during an eight-day embarkation aboard a French multi-mission frigate. Method This is a descriptive and qualitative study, of the experience report type, carried out in March 2026 during an eight-day embarkation aboard a French Navy European Multi-Mission Frigate taking part in a high-intensity exercise in the Atlantic. Data were collected through unstructured participant observation, from an observer-as-participant position. Inductive analysis drew on grounded theory and work psychology literature. Results Three mechanisms emerged. First, rank-based messes provided spaces for peer interaction, informal regulation, and the expression of tensions. Second, sailors used situational leeway to adapt their activity to operational constraints and develop practical solutions. Third, interactions between experienced and less experienced sailors supported the transmission of knowledge, practices, and norms, contributing to collective memory and professional continuity. Conclusion These findings illustrate how professional practices, collective dynamics, and psychosocial aspects are intertwined in sailors’ daily activity aboard a French warship. Informal collective spaces, opportunities to adapt work activity, and the transmission of the professional genre between experienced sailors and newcomers support professional activity.