Scale Assessment Dataset on Mental Health Risk Factors for Chinese Expatriate Construction Workers in High-Risk Environments in Iraq​​

This dataset originates from a special mental health survey conducted by a construction company targeting employees assigned to work at an oilfield in a Middle Eastern region. The dataset mainly consists of two documents: raw scale score data and a mental health assessment questionnaire. The following sections describe the data generation process, content structure, spatiotemporal information, and data characteristics:1. Data Generation Process and Processing Methods• Survey Design: A cross-sectional research design was adopted. An online questionnaire was distributed to 400 on-site employees in the Middle Eastern region (April–May 2024). A total of 326 valid responses were collected (valid response rate: 81.5%).• Assessment Tools: Eight standardized scales were used to comprehensively evaluate mental health status, including:◦ General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12)◦ Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9, depression screening)◦ Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7)◦ Maslach Burnout Inventory – General Survey (MBI-GS-15)◦ Core Occupational Stress Scale (COSS-17)◦ Social Support Survey (8 items)◦ Iraq-Specific Social Environmental Stress Questionnaire (10 items)◦ Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI-9)2. Spatiotemporal Information• Time Range: Data were collected from April to May 2024, reflecting employees’ psychological state over the past 2–3 weeks.• Spatial Range: Respondents were all located at on-site workplaces in a Middle Eastern region, classified as a high-risk and unstable area.• Resolution: Individual-level data; no specific spatiotemporal resolution required.3. Data Content and Structure(1) Raw Scale Score Data (326 records)• Row Labels: Each record represents one employee’s complete assessment result (326 rows in total).• Column Labels:◦ Basic Information (14 columns): ID, age, gender, education, marital status, number of children, etc.◦ Work Characteristics (8 columns): Job type (management/frontline), years of service, shift cycle, day–night rotation, consecutive days on duty, weekly overtime hours, etc.◦ Lifestyle (4 columns): Number of cohabitants, smoking, drinking, exercise habits.◦ Scale Scores (80 columns): Raw scores for 8 scales, classification results (e.g., “depression detected”), and sub-dimension scores (e.g., emotional exhaustion under burnout).• Units of Measurement:◦ Continuous variables: Age (years), years of service (years), days on duty (days), overtime hours (hours/week).◦ Categorical variables: Gender (male/female), education (junior high school to bachelor’s degree), marital status, etc., encoded as categorical values (e.g., “1 = married”).◦ Scale scores: Scored according to standard rules for each scale (e.g., PHQ-9 total score 0–27).(2) Assessment Questionnaire• Includes an 87-item structured questionnaire covering all items and options of the above 8 scales.4. Data Missingness and Error Notes• Missing Data:◦ Some fields in EXCEL contain blanks (marked as “(blank)”), such as open-ended questions left unanswered (e.g., reasons for sleep disturbances).◦ Missing Data Handling: Valid case analysis was applied; no imputation methods were used.• Sources of Error:◦ Subjective bias in self-report scales (e.g., social desirability effect).◦ Sampling bias: Male participants accounted for 99.7%; female sample was very limited (n=1).◦ Cultural differences: The validity of some scales (e.g., social support) may be limited in cross-cultural contexts.5. File Format and Usage Recommendations• File Format:◦ DOC.◦ Standard .xlsx format (compatible with Excel, WPS, etc.).• Applicable Software:◦ Statistical Analysis: SPSS, R, Python (pandas library).SummaryThis dataset systematically assessed the mental health status and influencing factors of construction employees assigned to high-risk areas in Iraq using standardized scales. It includes both raw data and survey instruments, making it suitable for research in occupational health psychology and cross-cultural adaptation. Caution is advised regarding the gender imbalance in the sample and the potential influence of cultural context on scale validity.