Efectos de la violencia psicológica laboral en la salud mental de mujeres trabajadoras latinoamericanas

Abstract

Psychological violence at work: a form of abuse deeply rooted in power, gender, and precariousness relations in Latin American workplaces. In the case of a female worker, this violence takes on particular forms such as harassment, devaluation, exclusion, and verbal abuse, affecting not onl y how she performs her job but also her emotional well-being, self-esteem, and overall mental health. In contexts marked by structural gender inequality, authoritarian organizational cultures, and the absence of protective strategies, these experiences are often made invisible, minimized, or even normalized, setting mechanisms in motion that perpetuate psychological suffering and exclusion. To gain a better understanding of this phenomenon and contribute solid empirical evidence for addressing it, a structured and integrated literature review was conducted using the PRISMA model. This search strategy was applied in specialized, scientific, and peer-reviewed repositories and databases relevant to the scientific field (PubMed, Scopus, Redalyc, and SciELO), with MeSH descriptors on workplace violence, occupational stress, and women’s mental health. Twenty-five scientific studies were identified as relevant after meeting strict inclusion and exclusion criteria. A consistent association emerged between exposure to psychological violence and mental disorders such as anxiety, depression, insomnia, post-traumatic stress disorder, and burnout syndrome. Likewise, the role of psychosocial factors such as job insecurity, gender inequality, and the lack of institutional support networks was evident in amplifying these effects. Despite certain normative advances in the region, the findings reveal significant gaps in the implementation of gender-focused policies, as well as in the training of leaders and managers to promote respectful and violence-free work environments. This review highlights the urgency of developing comprehensive, sustained, and culturally contextualized intervention strategies that prioritize prevention, psychological damage repair, and the promotion of an organizational science based on equity, respect, and mental health as a fundamental right.