The Effect of Technology in the Workplace: Consequences of Technostress on Mental Health

Currently, workers are exposed to great demands and exhaustion due to the continued use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in the workplace, with a forecast of growth in the coming years. The objective of this study was to explore the impact of technostress along with other work and time demands related to technology (i.e., technostress creators, workplace telepressure and technology-assisted supplemental work) on the mental health of workers. This is a cross-sectional study carried out during 2021, in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic. 577 professionals participated (27.2% men and 72.8% women) from different productive sectors, mostly from Spain. Descriptive, correlational and hierarchical regression analyzes were performed. The results revealed that socio-professional variables, work and personal demands in relation to ICT and technostress explain an important part of the variance in mental health, specifically on the levels of depression, anxiety and stress, within the job context. The results are discussed in relation to the importance of incorporating preventive, promotion and intervention strategies in organizations linked to the healthy use of technology among their members in order to reduce the negative impact on mental health.