Corruption and its impact on the mental health of public managers in Peru
Keywords:
corruption, mental health, public managers, occupational stress, public ethics, burnout, PeruAbstract
To analyze the impact of corruption on the mental health of public managers in Peru, identifying the main psychological manifestations, risk factors, and mitigation strategies described in the scientific literature. A structured narrative review of the literature published between 2015 and 2025 was conducted in databases such as PubMed, Scopus, SciELO, and Google Scholar, using MeSH and DeCS descriptors in Spanish and English. A total of 38 publications were included, selected through explicit inclusion and exclusion criteria. Public managers operating in high-corruption environments show higher rates of emotional exhaustion, deterioration of professional identity, and persistent ethical conflicts. Regulatory ambiguity, institutional pressure to participate in irregular acts, and systemic impunity are identified as risk factors. A bidirectional relationship exists between corruption and deterioration of mental health in Peruvian public managers, with implications for human talent management policies in the public sector. Organizational integrity systems, public ethics training, and strengthened whistleblowing mechanisms constitute protective strategies.
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References
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