What is it about?
This study looked at how stress from work affects sleep among small-scale miners in Ghana. Mining is difficult and often unsafe work, with long hours, heavy demands, and little job security. These pressures can create high levels of stress, which may also harm mental health and sleep. Good sleep is important for health, but many miners struggle with sleep problems such as difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, or feeling rested. We examined the association between work-related stress and sleep problems among small-scale miners in Ghana and explored the mediating roles of anxiety and depression in this association.
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Why is it important?
We study the link between work stress and sleep problems among 664 small-scale miners in Ghana. This matters because miners face unsafe, insecure work, but their health is often ignored. We find that: a) work stress directly contributes to poor sleep, and b) anxiety and depression serially explain this link.
Perspectives
I hope this article makes people realize that mining isn’t just physically hard; it takes a toll on miners’ mental health and sleep too. Work-stress, anxiety, and depression quietly affect their daily lives. More than anything, I hope this work sparks more conversations and action around protecting the mental health of miners, especially in countries like Ghana, where these issues are often overlooked.
Emmanuel Nyaaba
University of British Columbia
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Work-related stress and sleep problems among small-scale miners in Ghana: The role of psychological factors, PLOS One, August 2025, PLOS,
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0324579.
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