Prevalence of psychological distress and its association with perceived indoor environmental quality and workplace factors in under and aboveground workplaces

Abstract

Developing underground spaces serves a range of common urban functions, including workspaces. However, underground workplaces, work-related factors and the indoor environmental quality (IEQ) parameters within them may negatively affect worker's mental health. This study assessed the prevalence of psychological distress with repeated measures over time in aboveground and underground workspaces, and assessed the association between perceived IEQ parameters and work-related factors with psychological distress. A total of 329 workers in similar aboveground and underground workspaces were followed-up in three assessments over 12 months in Singapore. Psychological distress was assessed using the 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) and defined as a GHQ-12 score ≥2. Perceived IEQ (air quality, temperature, noise, light) in the workplace were collected using the OFFICAIR questionnaire. We used generalised estimating equation models to assess the association between working underground, perceived IEQ, and work-related factors with psychological distress. The overall prevalence of psychological distress was 21.9%, 26.1% and 21.9%, at baseline, 3-and 12-months follow-up, respectively. The fully-adjusted multivariable analysis did not show any association between working underground and psychological distress however, perceived IEQ parameters and longer working hours were significantly associated with psychological distress. Regardless of working in under or aboveground workplaces, perceived IEQ was associated with psychological distress. Future studies are needed in order to examine the relationship between objective measures of IEQ and psychological distress and the impact of healthy building policies and improved IEQ on psychological distress.

Towards an integrative analysis of underground environment and human health: a survey and field measurement approach

“…In general, previous studies have identified different underground environment factors influencing users' health, such as indoor environment quality (IEQ) (Dunleavy et al, 2019(Dunleavy et al, , 2020, space design (Tan et al, 2018a;Barati et al, 2021) and greenery (Kim et al, 2018;Chan et al, 2021). However, the majority of these studies are often fragmented, focussing on single or partial factors, and their bidirectional interactions with underground development users' health only.…”

Translation and adaptation of the Indoor Environmental Quality questionnaire to Brazilian Portuguese

“…This initiative aims to evaluate how office buildings' occupants perceive their work environment. The questionnaire has been used in studies assessing workplace stress 12 , mental health 13 , sick building syndrome 14 , and several different workspaces 15,16 . This type of instrument can contribute to the understanding of occupants' perception of the built environment and help instruct building designers on healthier design strategies.…”

Which Risk Factors Matter More for Psychological Distress during the COVID-19 Pandemic? An Application Approach of Gradient Boosting Decision Trees

“…However, the findings of previous studies investigating the relationship between indoor air quality and health symptoms are mixed. For example, one study found that the perceived indoor environmental quality was associated with psychological distress with respect to the workplace by using a seven-point Likert scale: 1 (unsatisfactory) to 7 (satisfactory) [34]. Another study in China examined the association between living environment and self-reported health, with a special focus on the differences between rural and urban residents in relation to environmental health [35].…”