Mental Health, Wellness, and Resilience for Transit System Workers

The objective of this project is to develop a comprehensive guidebook and interactive products that would assist transit agencies and other stakeholders in exploring or implementing approaches to identify and mitigate the factors that cause negative impacts on mental health, wellness, and resilience for transit system workers. Some examples of products may include fact sheets, toolkits, checklists, a resource guide, training curricula, and/or interactive products or other methods for sharing and disseminating the information. A sustainability plan for the ongoing use of the products should be included. At a minimum, the research will address the contributing factors to a transit employee’s mental health by:   (1) Documenting the stressors experienced by transit system workers during pre-pandemic times and the new stressors or exacerbation of traditional stressors due to the pandemic; (2) Documenting the impacts of those stressors at the individual and organizational level; (3) Documenting any differences seen by race, ethnicity, gender, age, and occupation; (4) Identifying  protective factors and actions that would help proactively develop, promote, and sustain a culture that supports the mental health, well-being, and resilience of transit workers (methods, models, and programs);   (5) Evaluating the impacts of existing programs, policies and practices, including labor-management relations and work organization, to address mental health issues; (6) Documenting the role of supervisory support in helping employees to manage exposures to stressors; and (7) Recommending best practices for transit systems to support the mental health of transit employees (including programs, outreach, education, and bargaining). The project will address both organizational and individual level factors affecting mental health. Such factors might include, but are not limited to, financial challenges, job insecurity, assaults, schedules, lack of childcare and in-person school uncertainty, knowing victims, and constantly wearing PPE that contribute to the stress and mental health challenges.  Support mechanisms at an individual or organizational level can also be included, such as employee assistance programs and perceived social support and other similar resources.

• Record URL:
  http://apps.trb.org/cmsfeed/TRBNetProjectDisplay.asp?ProjectID=5069

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Completed
• Funding: $300,00
• Contract Numbers:

  Project F-29

• Sponsor Organizations:

  Transit Cooperative Research Program

  Transportation Research Board
  500 Fifth Street, NW
  Washington, DC    20001

  Federal Transit Administration

  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Project Managers:

  Garcia-Colberg, Mariela

• Performing Organizations:

  Rutgers University, New Brunswick

  Center for Urban Policy Research
  33 Livingston Avenue
  New Brunswick, NJ  United States  08901-1982
• Principal Investigators:

  Brennan, Sandy

• Start Date: 20211118
• Expected Completion Date: 0
• Actual Completion Date: 0

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: COVID-19; Handbooks; Health; Mental condition; Occupational safety; Public transit; Safety; Stress (Psychology); Transit personnel
• Subject Areas: Administration and Management; Public Transportation; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01758788
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: Transportation Research Board
• Contract Numbers: Project F-29
• Files: TRB, RIP
• Created Date: Nov 23 2020 4:26PM