Abstract
BACKGROUND: With the acceleration of urbanization, traffic congestion is becoming increasingly severe. As an important component of urban transportation system, the mental health status of bus drivers directly affects the service quality and driving safety of public transportation. Bus drivers face a complex and ever-changing work environment, including road congestion, passenger emotional fluctuations, and other challenges, which bring significant psychological pressure to drivers. For example, drivers who are exposed to traffic congestion for a long time may experience significant psychological pressure, leading to mental health problems. Therefore, this study explores the impact of transportation environment on the mental health of bus drivers, providing scientific basis for improving their working environment and mental health. METHODS: A study was conducted on 68 bus drivers to investigate and analyze their mental health. Firstly, collect the basic information of the driver, including age, gender, years of work experience, daily working hours, etc. Afterwards, descriptive statistical analysis will be conducted on the basic information of drivers, and multivariate regression analysis will be used to evaluate the factors affecting the psychological health of drivers. RESULTS: The survey results showed that out of 68 respondents, a total of 55 experienced physiological reactions to work stress. Among them, 15 people experienced fatigue and decreased energy, 10 people had sleep disorders, 14 people had digestive system problems, and 16 people had decreased immune system function. Among the 68 surveyed individuals, a total of 47 experienced psychological reactions of work stress. Among them, a total of 12 people showed symptoms of anxiety, 11 people showed problems with attention and memory, 10 people showed symptoms of depression, and 14 people showed symptoms of decreased self-efficacy. Finally, in terms of behavioral response, 10 individuals exhibited abnormal driving behavior, 11 exhibited changes in work behavior, 12 exhibited changes in healthy habits, and 10 exhibited avoidance behavior. Meanwhile, the multivariate analysis results showed that the standardized Beta coefficient of the impact of factors such as traffic problems and work environment on drivers' work stress response was 0.108, with a t-value of 3.07, p=.002. This indicating that work environment and traffic issues have a significant positive impact on drivers' work stress response. DISCUSSION: The experimental results show that nearly 30% of the surveyed bus drivers have symptoms of anxiety and depression, and most drivers have physiological, psychological, and behavioral reactions to work stress. Among them, factors such as traffic problems and working environment have a significant negative impact on the mental health of bus drivers, increasing the risk of psychological stress, anxiety, and depression. In order to improve the mental health status of drivers, research suggests using intelligent transportation systems, traffic signal optimization, and other means to reduce traffic congestion and alleviate drivers' work pressure. At the same time, provide drivers with mental health education and counseling services to help them master effective stress management and coping strategies. The limitation of the study is that it did not explore the causal relationship between stress influencing factors. Future research will further demonstrate the influencing factors of driver mental health and improve the longitudinal study design.