Domains of Psychosocial Risk Factors Affecting Young Construction Workers: A Systematic Review

Samuel Frimpong,Riza Yosia Sunindijo,Elijah Frimpong Boadu,Cynthia Changxin Wang

doi:10.3390/buildings12030335

Abstract

Despite being a key provider of employment, construction work significantly contributes to poor mental health among young construction workers worldwide. Although there are studies on the psychosocial risk factors (PRFs) that make young construction workers susceptible to poor mental health, the literature is fragmented. This has obscured a deeper understanding of PRFs and the direction for future research, thus making it challenging to develop appropriate interventions. To address this challenge, we systematically reviewed the literature on young construction workers’ PRFs using meta-aggregation, guided by the PICo, PEO, and PRISMA frameworks. We sought to synthesize the domains of PRFs that affect young construction workers’ mental health, and to determine the relationships between the PRF domains, psychological distress, and poor mental health. A total of 235 studies were retrieved and 31 studies published between 1993 and 2020 met the inclusion criteria. We identified 30 PRFs and categorized them into ten domains, which were further classified into personal, socio-economic, and organizational/industrial factors. The findings of this review contribute to achieving an in-depth understanding of young construction workers’ PRF domains and their patterns of interaction. The findings are also useful to researchers and policymakers for identifying PRFs that are in critical need of attention.

Highlights

IntroductionConstruction work, albeit a vital source of employment worldwide, is known to cause significant psychological distress—general signs of stress, fatigue, anxiety, anger, and moodiness, etc.—and poor mental health among many young workers [1,2]
Construction work, albeit a vital source of employment worldwide, is known to cause significant psychological distress—general signs of stress, fatigue, anxiety, anger, and moodiness, etc.—and poor mental health among many young workers [1,2].It has been identified in Australia, for example, that construction workers, in general, have a higher suicide risk as compared to the general male population, young construction workers aged 15 to 24 years have an unusually high suicide risk [3]
This study explored the relationship between work and family circumstances amongst low-income working mothers living in urban slums across Bangalore, India

Summary

Introduction

Construction work, albeit a vital source of employment worldwide, is known to cause significant psychological distress—general signs of stress, fatigue, anxiety, anger, and moodiness, etc.—and poor mental health among many young workers [1,2]. It has been identified in Australia, for example, that construction workers, in general, have a higher suicide risk as compared to the general male population, young construction workers aged 15 to 24 years have an unusually high suicide risk (about twice that of young workers in other industries) [3]. In the context of the construction industry, PRFs have often been associated with stressful workplace conditions that interact through a person’s experience and perceptions to affect their work output, job satisfaction, and eventually their mental well-being [8]

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