Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 2, 2026
10:29
A Complex Diving-For-Food Task to Investigate Social Organization and Interactions in Rats
Published on: May 8, 2021
Psychosocial work environment among immigrant and Danish cleaners
Kasper Olesen1, Isabella G Carneiro, Marie B Jørgensen
1National Research Centre for the Working Environment, Lersø Parkallé 105, 2100, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Summary
Non-Western cleaners reported a better psychosocial work environment than Danish cleaners, contrary to the initial hypothesis. This study challenges assumptions about immigrant worker experiences in the cleaning industry.
Area of Science:
- Occupational Health
- Sociology
- Public Health
Background:
- Previous research indicates non-Western cleaners face poorer health outcomes compared to Danish colleagues.
- A potential contributing factor is a less favorable psychosocial work environment.
- Existing data lacks comparisons of self-reported psychosocial work environments between non-Western and Danish workers within the same social strata.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate differences in the self-reported psychosocial work environment among cleaners based on immigrant status.
- To test the hypothesis that non-Western cleaners report a poorer psychosocial work environment than their Danish counterparts.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional study involving 285 cleaners (148 Danish, 137 non-Western) from 9 Danish workplaces.
- Utilized the short version of the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire (COPSOQ) to assess the psychosocial work environment.
- Employed ordinal logistic regression to analyze the association between immigrant status and psychosocial work environment scales, adjusting for covariates.
Main Results:
- Non-Western cleaners reported significantly higher scores for Predictability (OR=3.97), Recognition (OR=1.92), Quality of Leadership (OR=1.81), Trust Regarding Management (OR=1.72), and Justice (OR=2.14) compared to Danish cleaners.
- These findings were adjusted for age, sex, BMI, smoking, workplace, and perceived physical exertion.
Conclusions:
- The study's hypothesis was not supported, as non-Western immigrant cleaners reported a statistically significantly better psychosocial work environment on several key scales.
- This suggests that immigrant status may not be associated with a poorer psychosocial work environment in this occupational group.
- Findings highlight the importance of nuanced investigations into workplace environments for diverse workforces.
Related Concept Videos
02:16Stereotype Content Model
The Stereotype Content Model (SCM) was first proposed by Susan Fiske and her colleagues (Fiske, Cuddy, Glick & Xu, 2002; see also Fiske, 2012 and Fiske, 2017). The SCM specifies that when someone encounters a new group, they will stereotype them based on two metrics: warmth—or that group’s perceived intent, and how likely they are to provide help or inflict harm—and competence—or their ability to carry out that objective. Depending on the warmth-competence categorization, a person will feel...
02:16Surveys
Often, psychologists develop surveys as a means of gathering data. Surveys are lists of questions to be answered by research participants, and can be delivered as paper-and-pencil questionnaires, administered electronically, or conducted verbally. Generally, the survey itself can be completed in a short time, and the ease of administering a survey makes it easy to collect data from a large number of people.
02:55Stereotypes, Prejudice, and Discrimination
Humans are very diverse and although we share many similarities, we also have many differences. The social groups we belong to help form our identities (Tajfel, 1974). These differences may be difficult for some people to reconcile, which may lead to prejudice toward people who are different. Prejudice is a negative attitude and feeling toward an individual based solely on one’s membership in a particular social group (Allport, 1954; Brown, 2010). Prejudice is common against people who are...
01:29Psychological and Sociocultural Causes of Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia, a complex psychiatric disorder, has been historically misunderstood. Early psychological theories attributed its origins to childhood trauma and unresponsive parenting. However, contemporary research largely rejects these notions, favoring the vulnerability-stress hypothesis. This model proposes that individuals with a genetic predisposition to schizophrenia may develop the disorder following exposure to significant environmental stressors. Notably, studies on high-risk...
01:08Obedience
According to obedience research, we may harm others under the forceful pressures of an authority figure (Milgram, 1974). How about if the inappropriate orders were delivered with less force? The increasing interdependence between nurses and physicians compelled Hofling and his colleagues to explore nurses’ reactions to a potentially harmful medical request made by the perceived authority figure, the doctor (Hofling, Brotzman, Dalrymple, Graves, & Pierce, 1966). In this situation, obedience...
01:27Ethnic Identity within a Larger Culture
Adolescents from ethnic minority backgrounds face a multifaceted journey in forming their identities, shaped by the intersections of cultural expectations and personal exploration. For these adolescents, identity formation involves not only typical developmental challenges but also navigating the perceptions and attitudes of the majority culture. As they grow, adolescents in ethnic minority groups often become increasingly aware of stereotypes, social biases, and discrimination, all of which...