Mental Health Conditions among Young Construction Workers: A Systematic Narrative Review

Frimpong, Samuel; Sunindijo, Riza Yosia; Wang, Cynthia

doi:10.3390/environsciproc2021012021

Cited by 6 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…Our review takes into account a range of population subgroups across the globe. Extant systematic reviews have also focused on stress to understand industry-specific risk factors for poor mental health [ 18 , 44 ]. This, however, still leaves a gap with respect to common mental health conditions.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Review on the Prevalence of Poor Mental Health in the Construction Industry

Blair Winkler,

Middleton,

Remes

2024

Healthcare

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A plethora of studies on the prevalence of poor mental health have been undertaken in the general population. Nevertheless, an understanding of the prevalence of poor mental health in the context of high-risk settings, such as construction, is missing. This is noteworthy as poor mental health is widespread in this context. Given that over 100 million people work in construction on a global scale, a better understanding of the burden of poor mental health in construction is needed. To this end, a review on the prevalence of key mental health-related conditions in construction was undertaken. Through this review, over 1000 papers were identified through PubMed and Google Scholar. After applying inclusion and exclusion criteria, a final set of 19 documents were included. Results showed that anxiety and depressive disorders, as well as psychological distress, have a high burden in construction. Vulnerable population subgroups (e.g., women, minority ethnic groups) were identified. Construction is a high-risk setting and despite this, the burden of poor mental health in this context is not given the importance it deserves. This review sheds light on the prevalence of key conditions, which are linked to high humanistic and economic burden. This review provides a foundation and useful starting point for further investigations, and results from this review may be used to inform future research, workplace interventions, and policy.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Review on the Prevalence of Poor Mental Health in the Construction Industry

Blair Winkler,

Middleton,

Remes

2024

Healthcare

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“…The prevalence of depression and anxiety symptoms in our population was much higher than previously reported findings by WHO in the general population of Nepal with 3.2% depression and 3.6% anxiety [ 17 ]. Construction workers have a greater frequency of depression and anxiety symptoms compared to the general population, which might be linked to job-related stress, insecurity, dissatisfaction, financial strain, a hostile work environment and substances that are used as a coping mechanism for the hostile work environment, poor work environment, and stressful construction tasks [ 18 ]. Studies from the United Kingdom and Korea reported 2% to 11% prevalence of depression among construction workers, which was lower than this study [ 19 , 20 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prevalence and factors associated with depression, anxiety and stress symptoms among construction workers in Nepal

Adhikari,

Poudel,

Bhandari

et al. 2023

PLoS ONE

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Introduction The construction industry in Nepal, which employs a significant proportion of the population, ranks as one of the largest industries in the country. Construction work is physically demanding and can be risky due to the use of heavy machinery and the presence of intense physical labor. However, the physical and mental health of construction workers in Nepal is often neglected. This study aimed to assess psychological distress (depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms) and its association with socio-demographic, lifestyle, and occupational factors among construction workers in Kavre district, Nepal. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional study from 1st October 2019 to 15th January 2020 among 402 construction workers in Banepa, and Panauti municipalities of Kavre district, Nepal. We collected data with face-to-face interviews using a structured questionnaire consisting of a) socio-demographic characteristics; b) lifestyle and occupational characteristics; and c) depression, anxiety and stress symptoms. We collected data using electronic forms in KoboToolbox and imported them into R version 3.6.2 for statistical analysis. We present parametric numerical variables as mean and standard deviation, and categorical variables as percentage and frequency. The confidence interval around proportion was estimated with the Clopper-Pearson method. We applied univariate and multivariable logistic regression to determine factors associated with depression symptoms, anxiety, and stress. The result of logistic regression was presented as crude odds ratio, adjusted odds ratio (AOR), and their 95% confidence interval (CI). Results The prevalence of depression, anxiety and stress symptoms were 17.1% (95%CI: 13.6–21.2), 19.2% (95%CI: 15.5–23.4) and 16.4% (95%CI: 12.9–20.4), respectively. In multivariable logistic regression analysis, depression symptom was positively associated with poor sleep quality (AOR = 3.51; 95%CI: 1.5–8.19; p-value: 0.004); stress symptom was positively associated with Brahmin ethnicity (AOR = 3.76; 95%CI:1.34–10.58; p-value: 0.012) and current smoking (AOR = 2.0; 95%CI: 1.11–3.82 p-value: 0.022). But anxiety symptoms were not associated with any of the variables. Conclusions The prevalence of depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms were high among construction workers. Developing evidence-based and appropriate community-based mental health prevention programs among laborers and construction workers is recommended.

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“…Although the construction industry is known to have a stressful work environment that can negatively affect workers' mental health (Boschman et al, 2013;Newaz et al, 2022), we conjecture that other factors such as job insecurity associated with informality may contribute to the fear, anxiety and depression affecting young informal construction workers in Nigeria. This is because informal construction workers are at an inherent disadvantage in terms of job security, bene ts, and wages compared to their formal counterparts (Frimpong et al, 2022;Odediran & Babalola, 2013;Wahab, 2010). This insecurity can cause higher stress levels and mental health problems, resulting in reduced productivity, e ciency, and work quality.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Two-Pronged Approach to Understanding Reciprocity and Mental Health Relationship in Developing Countries: Evidence from Young Informal Construction Workers in Nigeria.

Oladosu,

Chanimbe

2023

Preprint

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Background Mental health problems disproportionately affect young people in developing countries. However, there is limited research on help-seeking behaviours and the social support systems that improve mental wellbeing among vulnerable youth populations.Objective This mixed-methods study aimed to examine the relationship between social support reciprocity and mental health among young informal construction workers in Nigeria, a population at high-risk for occupational and socioeconomic stressors.Methods A cross-sectional survey was administered to 686 informal workers to measure reciprocity, mental health-related quality of life, and covariates. In-depth interviews with 32 participants provided qualitative context.Results Quantitative analyses showed 25% of participants reported poor mental health. Reciprocity positively predicted mental health after controlling for covariates. Qualitative findings revealed reciprocity occurs directly between individuals as well as indirectly through trade unions and religious groups. Indirect exchanges through groups helped address limitations of direct support due to limited resources.Conclusions This study fills important gaps in understanding how social relationships impact mental health in developing country contexts. Findings emphasize the role of collective action and community-based support systems in promoting mental wellbeing among vulnerable populations. Insights can inform culturally relevant, systems-level mental health interventions.

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Mental Health Conditions among Young Construction Workers: A Systematic Narrative Review

Abstract: This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ 4.0/).

Cited by 6 publications

References 15 publications

A Review on the Prevalence of Poor Mental Health in the Construction Industry

A Review on the Prevalence of Poor Mental Health in the Construction Industry

Prevalence and factors associated with depression, anxiety and stress symptoms among construction workers in Nepal

A Two-Pronged Approach to Understanding Reciprocity and Mental Health Relationship in Developing Countries: Evidence from Young Informal Construction Workers in Nigeria.

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