Associations Between Work-Related Factors and Psychological Distress Among Construction Workers

Objective: Identify work-related factors associated with the mental health and well-being of construction workers. Methods: We completed eight key informant interviews, six worker focus groups, and a survey, informed by the interviews and focus groups, of 259 construction workers on five construction sites. Negative binomial regressions examined associations between psychological distress and work-related factors including safety climate, work-to-family conflict, psychological demands, social support, harassment, and job security. Results: Three themes emerged from the interviews and focus groups, job demands and structure, social support and workplace relations, and job precarity. From the survey higher psychological demands, higher work-to-family conflict, lower supervisor support, higher discrimination, and higher likelihood of losing a job were associated with higher psychological distress. When combined into a single model job demands and work-to-family conflict remained significant. Conclusions: Work-related factors were associated with high levels of distress.

Automated summary

The study identified work-related factors associated with the mental health and well-being of construction workers. Results showed that higher psychological demands, work-to-family conflict, discrimination, and likelihood of losing a job were linked to higher psychological distress. The study highlighted the importance of addressing job demands and work-to-family conflict for promoting mental health among construction workers.