A systematic review of mental stressors in the construction industry

Abstract

Purpose

Stressors emanated from construction projects are causative factors for occupational stress inherent in the construction industry. Concomitant implications of stressors ignite a burst of empirical evidence, which necessitates a systematic review to capture the state of art of the extant literature. Therefore, this paper addresses this significant gap by conducting a systematic review of mental stressors.

Design/methodology/approach

A three-stage screening and data extraction method were employed to retrieve 38 papers that met the inclusion criteria for the study.

Findings

The annual publication trends and contributions of selected journals were elucidated. Moreover, this review identified 49 stressors from 38 selected peer-reviewed journals between 1997 and 2020. The most frequently reported mental stressors include work overload, home-work conflict, poor working environment, role ambiguity and poor working relationships. The 49 stressors could be classified into five main categories, namely; organizational stressors, task stressors, personal stressors, physical stressors and gender-related stressors.

Originality/value

The findings of the study broaden the understanding of the practitioners and policymakers on the dynamics of stressors for the development of stress interventions. Future research should focus on exploration of mental stressors specific to construction projects and different occupational trades.

Citation

Tijani, B., Jin, X. and Osei-kyei, R. (2021), "A systematic review of mental stressors in the construction industry", International Journal of Building Pathology and Adaptation, Vol. 39 No. 2, pp. 433-460. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJBPA-02-2020-0011