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Zhang, R P, Bowen, P and Edwards, P (2023) Determinants of Depressive Symptoms among Male Construction Workers in Cape Town, South Africa. In: Tutesigensi, A and Neilson, C J (Eds.), Proceedings 39th Annual ARCOM Conference, 4-6 September 2023, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK. Association of Researchers in Construction Management, 364-373.
- Type: Conference Proceedings
- Keywords: Depression, determinants, male construction workers, South Africa
- ISBN/ISSN: 978-0-9955463-7-0
- URL: http://www.arcom.ac.uk/-docs/proceedings/6bbd8369a3c4ca38d858ecdbd524d2a6.pdf
- Abstract:
Individuals working in the construction industry are at a high risk of depression. This study investigates which groups of construction workers are more susceptible to depression through examining the associations between the prevalence of depressive symptoms and demographic factors, social and work-related factors, and behavioural factors. Data were collected from 496 male construction workers drawn from 18 construction sites in the Western Cape. Binomial logistic regression analysis was used to analyse the data. The results show that Black African construction workers experience lower levels of depressive symptoms compared to ‘Other’ ethnicities. Workers who are single or live with other adults without children experience significantly higher risk of depression compared to workers who are married or in a long relationship or live alone. The study also revealed that substance use is associated with lower levels of depressive symptoms, suggesting that construction workers use substance as a coping strategy for short-term depression reduction. Practical suggestions are provided to protect the mental health of construction workers who are more vulnerable to depression.