P-01 Factors Associated with Commuting Stress among Tertiary Education Employees in Georgetown, Guyana

Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 417 (100 male, 317 female) participants, with a mean age of 29.6 (sd=8.7) years. Data about their demographic characteristics, psychosocial measures (perceived stress, coping, and resilience), characteristics about their commute (length, mode, and satisfaction with commute infrastructure), and how often they experienced selected symptoms associated with stress on the daily commute were collected using a self-administered questionnaire. A commuting stress score was calculated for each participant, and this was followed by regression analysis.

Results: The findings indicated that, after adjusting for factors such as resiliency, coping strategies, job perception, overall life stress, income levels, and education—all of which can influence how people perceive problems in their lives—the regression model showed that people who use public transportation, have longer commutes, and, who are less satisfied with the commute infrastructure are more likely to report experiencing stress-related symptoms during their daily commute. After controlling for all other factors, the results from this sample suggest that age, place of residence, and commuting actively or passively had no discernible effect on the reporting of experiencing symptoms of stress during their daily commute.

Conclusion: The results suggest the need for a multipronged approach to address commuting stress, involving individual healthcare, mental-health-centric urban transport design, improved commute infrastructure, and increased employer engagement. Future studies employing qualitative and experimental methods are recommended.