LIFE SATISFACTION AND PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS IN STREET-MARKET WORKERS: AN EXPLORATORY STUDY IN NORTHERN CHILE

Abstract

The number of Chilean workers affected by psychological distress at work has been increasing during the last few years. Consequently, much research has been focused on explaining this phenomenon. Furthermore, the relationship with life satisfaction has been studied. However, the emergence of life satisfaction and psychological distress and its relationship among Chilean street-market workers have yet to be deeply studied. Notwithstanding, this group of workers is relevant to the local economy; they are informal workers with high levels of vulnerability. The primary purpose of this research is to determine the levels of life satisfaction and psychological distress and their relationship in a sample of street-market workers in Arica, north of Chile. An exploratory study with a cross-sectional design explored the relationship between the variables of interest in a sample of 189 street-market workers. The research results showed that these workers’ life satisfaction and psychological distress are worse than other kinds of workers reported in previous research. This sample has a negative relationship between life satisfaction and psychological distress. Furthermore, differences were identified between female and male street-market workers. These results are promising to develop future research and effectively help street-market workers face psychological distress.