Psychological suffering, work intensification and mental exhaustion and: Work in Call Centers

Authors

  • Paulo Victor Rodrigues de Azevedo Lira Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (Fiocruz Pernambuco), Instituto Aggeu Magalhães (IAM), Laboratório Saúde, Ambiente e Trabalho (Lasat) – Recife (PE), Brasil. Secretaria de Saúde do Estado de Pernambuco (SES-PE), Centro de Referência em Saúde do Trabalhador (Cerest) – Recife (PE), Brasil. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8588-839X
  • Diego de Oliveira Souza Universidade Federal de Alagoas (Ufal), Programa de Pós-Graduação em Serviço Social (PPGSS) – Campus Arapiraca – Arapiraca (AL), Brasil. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1103-5474
  • Angela Santana do Amaral Universidade Federal de Pernambuco (UFPE), Programa de PósGraduação em Serviço Social (PPGSS) – Recife (PE), Brasil. https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2038-1296
  • Idê Gomes Dantas Gurgel Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (Fiocruz Pernambuco), Instituto Aggeu Magalhães (IAM), Laboratório Saúde, Ambiente e Trabalho (Lasat) – Recife (PE), Brasil. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2958-683X
  • Maurício Barbosa de Lima Sindicato dos Trabalhadores em Telecomunicações de Pernambuco (Sinttel-PE) – Recife (PE), Brasil. https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2232-3946
  • Adriana Guerra Campos Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (Fiocruz Pernambuco), Instituto Aggeu Magalhães (IAM), Laboratório Saúde, Ambiente e Trabalho (Lasat) – Recife (PE), Brasil. Secretaria de Saúde do Estado de Pernambuco (SES-PE), Centro de Referência em Saúde do Trabalhador (Cerest) – Recife (PE), Brasil. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1085-9236

Keywords:

Mental health, Mental disorders, Occupational health, Occupational risks

Abstract

The research analyzed how psychological distress is related to the organization of work, its intensification and the mental exhaustion of telemarketers. This is a cross-sectional, descriptive study, carried out with telemarketers from two companies located in the metropolitan region of a northeastern capital. In total, 364 questionnaires and 445 Self-Reporting Questionnaires-20 were applied with the aim of characterizing social, work and health aspects, as well as the predisposition to Common Mental Disorders. The data were analyzed from a critical approach, considering the singular-particular-universal dialectic. The findings indicate that work intensification, low autonomy and job instability characterize the reality of telemarketers, resulting in significant impacts on health, such as those that characterize common mental disorders. Associated with this, psychological distress acts as an instrument that enhances the organization of work, through its intensification, and can lead to mental exhaustion among workers, indicating the high rates of absence and mental illness in the category, as well as the high turnover in the sector. This study highlights the urgency of a critical approach to the organization of work that questions the structure of the production system.

Published

2025-08-14

How to Cite

1.
Rodrigues de Azevedo Lira PV, de Oliveira Souza D, Santana do Amaral A, Gomes Dantas Gurgel I, Barbosa de Lima M, Guerra Campos A. Psychological suffering, work intensification and mental exhaustion and: Work in Call Centers. Saúde debate [Internet]. 2025 Aug. 14 [cited 2025 Oct. 9];49(especial 2 ago). Available from: https://www.saudeemdebate.org.br/sed/article/view/10502

Data statement

  • The research data is contained in the manuscript