A SSIM-Based Approach to Psychosocial Risk Assessment and Interventions

Abstract. Companies often hesitate to assess psychosocial risks, despite being obliged to assess them along with other health risks. One reason might be that companies are afraid of being unable to meet the expectations raised by employee surveys addressing social stressors. Health-oriented leadership approaches focus on supervisors’ role as potential social resources or stressors but neglect the influence of other situational conditions. In this case study, we use a systemic-salutogenic interaction model (SSIM)-based approach to psychosocial risk assessment in a medium-sized production company to focus on these dynamics. Using a pre-post multimethod design, we evaluate the effectiveness of this SSIM approach using two time-shifted standardized psychosocial risk surveys ( Nt1 =72; Nt2 = 224) and qualitative interviews to describe the challenges and problems the company faced. Based on these results, we discuss the perspectives of a SSIM-based approach to psychosocial risk assessment for research and practice.