Mental Health in Temporary Construction Workers

Abstract

Construction industry is characterized as not only physically but also mentally demanding with industry specific characteristics such as heavy workload, long working hours, work-family conflicts etc. However, inadequate research has been done to address the mental health aspect of the construction industry, where attention has been dominantly focused on physical health. On the other hand, the variance in terms of labor demands also distinguishes the construction industry from the rest and results in the second highest temporary employment rate based on the report from The Center for Construction Research and Training (CPWR) in 2015. Since the temporary construction workers are reported to have been earning less income, receiving less benefits and experiencing higher job insecurity, this study looks into the mental health of this disadvantaged population. In the literature review, characteristics of the overall as well as the temporary construction workforce are identified. The measurement of the mental health performance is determined to be the Kessler Index (K6) and the odds of serious mental illness (SMI). Meanwhile, the variables which are considered to be associated with mental health are also teased out from previous studies, which consist of demographics, annual income, housing status, health status and others. The two data sources identified are the Medical Expenditure Survey (MEPS) and Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System-Washington State (BRFSS-WA). Due to the information availability of the variables of interest, two different models are proposed, with one at the national level based on MEPS and one at the Washington State level based on BRFSS-WA. At the national level, the comparisons are made among the non-construction, permanent construction and temporary construction workforce while at the Washington State level, the comparison is made between non-construction and construction workers. Descriptive analysis is performed on all the variables to create a general profile at the national level and the state level. Linear regression and logistic regression are also performed in order to test the significance of the difference at the two levels. Based on the analysis, it is found that, at the national level, permanent construction workers have significantly lower mean K6 score than the non-construction workers. Temporary construction workers are found to have lower mean K6 score than non-construction workers and higher mean K6 score than permanent construction workers, but neither of the difference is significant. As for the odds of SMI, permanent construction workers tend to have significantly lower odds than the non-construction workers. Temporary construction workers tend to have higher odds than the other two groups, but neither of the difference is significant. At the Washington State level, construction workers are found to have lower mean K6 score and odds of SMI, but neither of them is significant. In addition, the significance of the covariates are also discussed in the analysis. Moreover, the lessons learnt from the data handling process are discussed and recommendations are listed out. Limitations of this study and suggestions for future research are also presented at the end.