Psychological Distress and Suicidal Ideation Among Male Construction Workers in the United States

Details

• Personal Author:
  Brooks, Raina D. ; Brown S ; Dong, Xiuwen S. ; Harris W
• Description:
  Background: Male workers in the US construction industry have a higher suicide rate than other workers in the nation. However, related research on this population remains sparse. This study evaluated psychological distress and suicidal ideation in these workers, and possible underlying factors. Methods: Data from the National Survey of Drug Use and Health from 2008 to 2014 were analyzed. Stratified and multiple logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine factors associated with psychological distress and suicidal ideation among male construction workers aged >/=18 years (n = 12,034). Results: Nearly one-third (29.6%) of male construction workers in the United States experienced psychological distress (23.8% graded as moderate, 5.8% as severe), and 2.5% reported suicidal ideation in the past year. Higher odds of serious psychological distress and suicidal ideation were found among workers who were younger, worked part-time, missed workdays due to injury or illness, or were in poor health. Illicit opioid use (odds ratio [OR] = 1.87, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.22-2.89) and alcohol dependence or abuse (OR = 2.64, 95% CI: 1.74-3.99) significantly escalated the odds of suicidal ideation. The odds of suicidal ideation among workers with serious psychological distress were 33 times higher than those having no or minor psychological distress (OR = 32.91, 95% CI: 19.82-54.65) when other factors were constant. Conclusions: Occupational and nonoccupational factors were associated with construction workers' psychological distress and suicidal ideation. Both illicit opioid use and alcohol dependence or abuse were risk factors, and psychological distress was a strong predictor for suicidal ideation. To improve workers' mental health, it is necessary to integrate workplace injury prevention with illicit opioid-use reduction programs and suicide prevention. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Aging Alcoholic Beverages Construction Industry Men Mental Health Nervous System Occupational Health Safety Substance-Related Disorders Suicide
• Keywords:
  Age Groups Alcohol Author Keywords: Mental Health Construction Workers Drug Abuse Drugs Mental Health Opioid Use Psychological Distress Psychology Regression Analysis Social Demographics Stress Work-related Factors

  More +
• ISSN:
  0271-3586
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Maryland ; OSHA Region 3
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  396-408
• Volume:
  65
• Issue:
  5
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20064659
• Citation:
  Am J Ind Med 2022 May; 65(5):396-408
• Contact Point Address:
  Xiuwen Sue Dong, DrPH, CPWR-The Center for Construction Research and Training, 8484 Georgia Ave, Suite 1000, Silver Spring, MD 20910, USA
• Email:
  SDong@cpwr.com
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2022
• NORA Priority Area:
  Construction
• Performing Organization:
  CPWR - The Center for Construction Research and Training, Silver Spring, Maryland
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20090901
• Source Full Name:
  American Journal of Industrial Medicine
• End Date:
  20240831
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:7dc847c09aedf140bc731323e8446b4703641ae07d6ad9e7b7238120dab30b8f7dcaa9b938d34d035f87873a0fe7fec262d5d13dcaf290925445e82b6de3b57d
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/223084/cdc_223084_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 168.02 KB ]