Introduction
There is increasing recognition of the need to identify and respond to distress in the community, both in the context of enhancing suicide prevention and in providing caring responses to alleviate suffering. Workers in the construction industry have been identified as a group at heightened risk of suicide. This presentation overviews findings of a data linkage study undertaken in Queensland, with respect to health service use and health characteristics of construction workers before and after a ‘distress related contact’ with a construction industry organisation.
Method
The study commenced with co-designing a concept of distress that resonated with construction industry stakeholders. From here, a cohort of construction industry workers who had a ‘distress related’ contact with one of four major organisations over the three-year period 2018-2020 was identified. Data were then linked to Queensland Health administrative datasets for the period 2017-2021, including hospital admissions, emergency department presentations, public mental health services contact, and Queensland Ambulance Service attendances.
Results
10,548 individuals were identified as meeting the criteria of having a distress related contact over the three-year period 2018-2020. This was in excess of 9 persons per day. Findings highlighted a relationship between workplace injuries and distress, mental health and suicidality. There was notable asymmetry in health service presentations pre and post an index distress contact, including those relating to injuries and intentional self-harm, suggesting that the distress related contact may either precipitate, or arise following, an injury.
Conclusion
Data linkage provided a unique perspective with which to examine the trajectory of distress among construction workers. Implications for enhancing caring responses include strengthening partnerships and connectivity across construction industry organisations and the health system, and further investigating the interconnectedness of distress and injury to develop and evaluate integrated initiatives to reduce both.