Construction workers struggle with a high prevalence of mental distress, and this is associated with their pain and injuries

Details

• Personal Author:
  Caban-Martinez, Alberto J. ; Dennerlein, Jack T. ; Jacobsen HB ; Onyebeke LC ; Reme SE ; Sorensen, Glorian
• Description:
  Objectives: We aimed to investigate how mental distress was associated with pain and injuries in a convenience sample of construction workers. Methods: A cross-sectional, mental health assessment was conducted in a convenience sample of construction workers (N = 172). A subsample participated in a clinical interview(n=10).We used a cutoff (1.50 or greater) on Hopkins Symptom Checklist-25 to determine substantial mental distress and determined associations with pain and injury outcomes. Results: The prevalence of substantial mental distress was 16% in the workers. This was supported by follow-up clinical interviews where 9 of 10 workers fulfilled the criteria for a mental disorder. Substantial mental distress was associated with both injury rate and self-reported pain. Conclusion: This pilot study strongly suggests the need for rigorous studies on construction worker mental health and how it affects their work and well-being. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Construction Industry Men Mental Health Musculoskeletal Diseases Musculoskeletal System Occupational Health Safety Stress, Psychological Women
• Keywords:
  Construction Construction-industry Construction-workers Humans Injuries Mental-health Mental-stress Musculoskeletal-system Musculoskeletal-system-disorders Stress Total-Worker-Health Workers

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• ISSN:
  1076-2752
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Massachusetts ; OSHA Region 1
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  55
• Issue:
  10
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20043365
• Citation:
  J Occup Environ Med 2013 Oct; 55(10):1197-1204
• Contact Point Address:
  Henrik Borsting Jacobsen, PsyD, Departments of Public Health and Circulation and Medical Imaging, Faculty of Medicine, NTNU, POBox 8905, MTFS, 7491Trondheim,Norway
• Email:
  henrik.b.jacobsen@ntnu.no
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2014
• Performing Organization:
  Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20070901
• Source Full Name:
  Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine
• End Date:
  20260831
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:96ee06e3247266688187e837ddd9fc8a4f3aaf47f843a4152a8851809484db469dbe6878bd4ead6e2295e896331e291b0c1417f74d2d952ae7b47e22994146ed
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/195282/cdc_195282_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 118.49 KB ]