The Potential for Workplaces to Provide Social Support for Distressed Infrastructure Workers
Publication: Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Volume 150, Issue 12
Abstract
Infrastructure workers experience high rates of psychological distress and suicide. Social capital (e.g., co-workers, friends, family) and social support (e.g., emotional, practical, informational) help to minimize distress. This study explores how social capital and social support contribute to psychological distress and if accessing social capital to provide social support is different for distressed compared to non-distressed workers. A sample of 220 infrastructure workers recruited online from Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America was used. The study explored social capital (sum and diversity) along with social support and who the workers would approach first for each type of social support. It found that increased social capital was associated with higher distress, whereas lower social support was associated with higher distress. The primary contribution of this research indicates that although distressed infrastructure workers have more social capital available, they may not be obtaining the necessary social support needed from their networks. Also, as some distressed workers indicated they approach work colleagues to receive some types of social support, there may be an opportunity for workplaces to provide social support to co-workers to alleviate the gap in support and help improve psychological well-being.
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Data Availability Statement
The data that support the findings of this study are available on request from the corresponding author.
Acknowledgments
The authors would like to acknowledge Associate Professor Malcolm Alexander for the contribution of knowledge and feedback on social network analysis to this research project. This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.
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Published In
Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Volume 150 • Issue 12 • December 2024
Copyright
© 2024 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Oct 26, 2023
Accepted: Jul 2, 2024
Published online: Sep 24, 2024
Published in print: Dec 1, 2024
Discussion open until: Feb 24, 2025
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