Enshassi, A; Al-Swaity, E; Abdul Aziz, A R and Choudhry, R (2018) Coping behaviors to deal with stress and stressor consequences among construction professionals: A case study at the Gaza Strip, Palestine. Journal of Financial Management of Property and Construction, 23(1), pp. 40-56. ISSN 1366-4387
Abstract
Purpose: Construction experts face several types of stresses at construction sites. The purpose of this study is to recognize and investigate dominant coping behaviors to overcome stress among construction professionals at the Gaza Strip. Design/methodology/approach: For the purpose of this paper, a survey which used self-administrative questionnaires was conducted. A total of 320 questionnaires were distributed randomly to construction professionals working at the Gaza Strip. From the total questionnaires that were distributed, 183 were returned. This shows a 51 per cent response rate. Relative importance index and principal component analysis were applied to examine the responses. This study explored two central coping behaviors, namely, problem-focused and emotion-focused behaviors. Findings: In relation to the problem-focused behaviors, a factor analysis revealed three underlying factors, namely, planned and constructive review problem-solving, need for social contributory support and confronted coping mechanism. As for emotion-focused coping behavior strategy, three principal factors were identified and named in order of their significance. These three principal factors include accepting responsibility, avoidance and seeking emotional support. Originality/value: There is limited attention from researchers with regard to coping behaviors so as to deal with stress and stressors in the Palestinian construction industry. Therefore, this study aims to fill the gap for stress-related issues in the construction sector of Palestine. The outcomes of this study will be valuable for construction companies which pursue improvements in human resources, productivity and future strategy.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | construction; coping behaviors; strategies; stress management |
| Index terms: | Palestine, case study, productivity, factor analysis, principal component analysis, coping, construction professional, Gaza Strip, construction industry, stressors, construction company, survey, strategy, construction site, face, relative importance index, questionnaire, human resource, methodology, construction sector |
| Subjects: | health conditions and diseases, behavioral psychology, statistical analysis, industry analysis, research methods, management, physical geography and landforms, professional development, Geography, work location, psychology, organization, data collection methods, risk assessment |
| Topics: | Information Management, Geographical Context, Research Practice, Health and Safety, Business Strategy, Risk Management, Human Resources, Organizational Design, Site Management |
| Descriptive scope: | 5 PCTEA |
N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here