[Cognitive changes in workers at a data processing company]

A study of 191 data processing workers undertaken in Porto Alegre, Brazil, in 1989, is presented. The relationship between complaints of loss of memory and their respective scores on cognitive testing in three groups of workers, one with automatized repetitive activities and two others with diversified activities, is analysed. The scores and complaints are compared with the results of a screening test for psychiatric disorders in order to verify the influence of this confounding factor. No significant evidence of cognitive problems was found despite the high prevalence of complaints of memory loss in this population (65.4%). There is a significant statistical association between these complaints and the scores of the psychiatric testing. It is suggested that futures studies should emphasize psychiatric analysis with a view to clarifying the complaints of Data Processing workers.