The Relationship between Work-Related Stressors and Construction Workers’ Self-Reported Injuries: A Meta-Analytic Review

Abstract

Mental health concerns are surging worldwide and workers in the construction industry have been found to be particularly vulnerable to these challenges. Stress, depression, addictions, suicides, and other key indicators of poor mental health have been found to be highly prevalent among construction workers. Critically, researchers have also found a link between how stress in the workplace impacts the overall safety performance of an individual. However, the burgeoning nature of the research has stifled the determination of feasible and actionable interventions on jobsites. This paper aims to analyze the relationship between work-related stressors found on construction jobsites and self-reported injury rates of workers. To accomplish this goal, a meta-analysis methodology was used, wherein a comprehensive literature search was conducted to identify key work-related stressors and questionnaires used in the construction industry’s safety domain to assess stress. Using a formal meta-analysis approach that leverages the findings from past studies, a more holistic determination of the relationship between work-related stressors and injury rates among workers was performed. Ninety-eight studies were reviewed, and seven were selected that fulfilled pre-determined validated inclusion criteria for eligibility in the meta-analysis. The results revealed 10 salient work-related stressors among construction workers. Of these ten, seven work-related stressors were identified as significant predictors of injury rates among workers: job control, job demand, skill demand, job certainty, social support, harassment and discrimination, and interpersonal conflicts at work. This study represents a significant first step toward formally identifying work-related stressors to improve working conditions, reduce or eliminate injuries on construction sites, and support future research.

The Relative Contribution of Psychological Defeat and Cognitive Failure in Predicting Academic Failure among Undergraduate Students at king Khalid university

“…Psychological defeat can lead to negative emotions such as anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem, which in turn can impact academic performance (Mann, 2004;Nguyen et al, 2019). Research has found that psychological defeat is strongly associated with academic failure in university students (Abdi Zarrin et al, 2020;Nguyen et al, 2019;Rowe & Fitness, 2018) Psychological defeat can be triggered by a variety of factors, including academic challenges, interpersonal conflicts, and personal stressors (Alqahtani et al, 2022;Schneiderman et al, 2005). For example, perceived stress has been found to be a significant predictor of psychological defeat in college students.…”

Effectiveness of the Australian MATES in Construction Suicide Prevention Program: a systematic review

“…A study of construction apprentices found that 29% of participating apprentices reported suicide ideation in the previous year ( Ross et al , 2022 ) with 31% reporting exposure to bullying in the previous 6 months, 13% reporting elevated psychological distress and 30% reporting reduced well-being ( Ross et al , 2021 ). While suicide and suicide ideation is multifaceted and will often be impacted by personal-, industry- and work-related risk factors ( Tyler et al , 2022b ), many of the work-related risk factors for suicide have also been associated with higher risk of physical injuries at work in the construction industry ( Alqahtani et al , 2022 ). Despite the importance of workplaces in mental health and suicide risk, very few workplace-focussed mental health or suicide prevention interventions have been documented, with few evaluations of existing initiatives published in the peer reviewed or grey literature ( Milner et al , 2015 ; Seaton et al , 2019 ; Greiner et al , 2022 ).…”