Feeling of invulnerability and risk-taking among Cameroonian construction workers

Feeling of invulnerability and risk-taking among Cameroonian construction workers

Ange Patient Billong, Hélène Chantal Ngah Essomba, Adrien Edouard Mvessomba

Department of Psychology, University of Yaoundé 1, Yaoundé, Cameroon

This study examined the effect of feelings of invulnerability on risk-taking among Cameroonian construction workers. Our sample consisted of 99 construction workers selected by reasoned choice sampling technique and randomly assigned to three different groups (invulnerability priming (n=33), vulnerability priming (n=33) and neutral priming (n=33)). A questionnaire was used to collect the data. It consisted of the Feeling of Invulnerability Scale, items from the Theory of Planned Behavior used to measure risk-taking at work, and priming texts to differentiate groups. The results indicate that invulnerability to danger and psychological invulnerability lead to risk-taking among Cameroonian construction workers. This study suggests taking into account perceptual biases in general and the feeling of invulnerability in particular in the prevention of accidents among construction workers.

Keywords: feeling of invulnerability, invulnerability to danger, psychological invulnerability, risk-taking at work, construction workers.

Free Full-text PDF

How to cite this article:

Ange Patient Billong, Hélène Chantal Ngah Essomba, Adrien Edouard Mvessomba. Feeling of invulnerability and risk-taking among Cameroonian construction workers.International Journal of Psychological Research and Reviews, 2022, 5:60. DOI: 10.28933/ijprr-2022-05-2905

References

1. Alberts, A., Elkind, D., & Ginsberg, S. (2007). The personnel fable and risk-taking in early adolescence. Journal of Youth Adolescence, 36, 71-76.
2. Achache, H., & Hamour, S. (2015). Le traumatisme psychique chez les victimes d’accidents de travail (Mémoire de Master). Université de Mira-Bejaia.
3. Ajzen, I. (1987). Attitudes, traits and actions : dispositional prédiction of behavior in personality and social psychology. In L. Berkowitz (Ed.), advances in expérimental social psychology (pp.1-63). Academic press.
4. Ajzen, I. (1991). The theory of planned behavior. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Process, 50, 179-211.
5. Ajzen, I. (2010). Constructing a theory of planned behavior questionnaire. Retrieved from http:/people.umass.edu/aizen/tpb.html.
6. Ajzen, I. (2011). The Theory of planned behavior: reaction and reflections. Psychology and Health, 29(9), 1113-1127.
7. Arezes, P. M., & Miguel, A. S. (2008). Risk perception and safety behavior: a study in occupational environment. Safety science, 46, 900-907.
8. Arnett, J. J. (1992). Reckless behavior in adolescence: A development perspective. Development Review, 12, 339-373.
9. Caisse Nationale de Prévoyance Sociale. (2018). Annuaire statistiques 2017. Département des Etudes, de la Coopération et de la Traduction.
10. Caisse Nationale de Prévoyance Sociale. (2019). Annuaire statistiques 2018. Département des Etudes, de la Coopération et de la Traduction.
11. Chan, D. C. N., Wu, A. M. S., & Hung, E. P. W. (2010). Invulnerability and the intention to drink and drive: an application of the Theory of Planned Behavior. Accident Analysis and Prevention, 42, 1549-1555.
12. Conférence Interafricain de Prévoyance Sociale. (2013). CIPRES, 20 ans d’assistance, d’intégration et d’harmonisation. Lomé, Togo : le courriel de la CIPRES.
13. Couplet, E. (2017). Le préjudice esthétique : définition, évaluation et réparation de ce préjudice particulier (Mémoire de Master). Université Catholique de Louvain.
14. Depue, C., De Seadeleer, V., Gioia, G., Le Paige, V., Lootens, I., Lousbergh,B., Streuve, E., Urbain, I., Van Leeuwen, N., Van Peer, W., & Vinck, E. (2018). Accidents de travail dans la construction. Bruno Vandenwijngaert-constructiv
15. Dorn, L., & Brown, B. (2003). Making sense if invulnerability at work-a qualitative study of police drivers. Safety sciences, 41(10), 837-859.
16. Dueck, P. M. (2013). Hazardous work, fear of injury and safety voice: the role of invulnerability among young workers (Doctorate’s Thesis). University of Manitoba.
17. Duggan, P. M., Lapsley, D. K., & Norman, K. (2000, Avril). Adolescent invulnerability and Personal Uniqueness: Scale development and initial construct validation. Papier présenté à la réunion bisannuelle de la Society for Research on Adolescence, Chicago, IL.
18. Elking, D. (1967). Egocentrism in adolescence. Child Development, 38(4), 1025-1034.
19. Hämäläinen, P., Takala, J., & Boon Kiat, T. (2017). Glabal estimates of Occupational Accidents and Work-related Illnesses 2017: XXI Work Congress on Safety and Health at Work. Workplace Safety and Health institute.
20. Haslam, R. A., Hide, S. A., Gibb, A. G. F., Gyi, D. E., Pavih, T., Atkison, S., & Duff, A. R. (2005). Contributing factors in construction accidents. Applied Ergonomic, 36(4), 401-415.
21. Health and Safety Executive. (2003). Causal factors in construction accidents. HSE.
22. International Labour Organisation. (2018). Improving the safety and Health of young workers: world day for safety and health at work. International Labour Office.
23. Kouabenan, D.R. (1999). Explication naïve de l’accident et prévention. Presses Universitaire de France.
24. Kouabenan, D.R. (2006). Management de la sécurité : rôle des croyances et des perceptions. In C. Lévy-Léboyer, M. Huteau, C. Louche, & J.P. Rolland (Eds.), Les apports de la psychologie du travail : Management des organisations (pp. 361-383). Organisation.
25. Kouabenan, D.R., Cadet, B., Hermand, D., & Muñoz Sastre, M.T. (2006). Psychologie du risque : Identifier, évaluer, prévenir. Editions De Boeck.
26. Lapsley, D. K. (2003). The two faces of adolescent invulnerability. In D. Romer (Ed.), reducing adolescent risk toward and integrated approach (pp. 25-31). Ennenberg Public Policy Center.
27. Lapsley, D. K., Fitz Gerard, D. P., Rice, K. G., & Jackson, S. (1989). Separation-individuation and the new look at the imaginary audience and personal fable: a test of an integrative model. Journal of Adolescent Research, 4, 493-505.
28. Lapsley, D. K., & Hill, P. L. (2009). Subjective invulnerability, optimism bias and adjustment in emerging adulthood. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 39,847-857. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10964-009-9409-9
29. Low, B. K. L., Man, S. S., & Chan, A. H. S. (2018). Risk taking propensity of construction workers – An application of Quasi- expert interview. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 15(2250), 1-11.
30. Mbaye, S., & Kouabenan, D.R. (2013). Effects of the feeling of invulnerability and the feeling of control on motivation to participate in experience-based analysis, by type of risk. Accident Analysis and Prevention, 51, 310-317.
31. Mbaye, S., Kouabenan, D.R., & Sarmin, P. (2005). Nature du risque, sentiment d’invulnérabilité, sentiment de contrôle, et motivation à s’impliquer dans des pratiques de retour d’expérience. Journal of personality and social psychology, 37, 1186-1195.
32. Ministère du Travail et de la Sécurité Sociale. (1992). Loi n°92/007 du 14 Août 1992 portant code du travail. Consulté sur webtex/31629/64868/F92CMR01. Htm
33. Mvessomba, E. A., Ngah Essomba, H. C., & Vitgo, P. C. (2017). La prise de risque routier au Cameroun. L’Harmattan.
34. Ngah Essomba, H. C. (2017). Culture, croyance et prise de risque chez les jeunes usagers de la route français et camerounais (Thèse de Doctorat). Université Paris 8 et Université de Yaounde 1.
35. Nguedong, J. A., Billong, A. P., & Mvessomba, E. A. (2021). Perception of risk of covid-19 contamination: an analysis of the effect of feeling of invulnerability. Revue Camerounaise de Psychologie, 3, 111-131.
36. Ngueutsa, R., & Kouabenan, D. R. (2014). Mes ancetres et Dieu me protège du danger, je peux prendre des risques : effets des croyances de contrôle socio-instrumentales sur les comportements de sécurité routière. In R. Ngueutsa, R. Mokounkolo, N. Achi, & A. Belhaj (Eds.), psychologie du travail et développement des pays du Sud (pp. 241-254). l’Harmattan.
37. Observatoire National du Travail. (2013). Enquête sur la situation du travail dans les entreprises : phase pilote, regions du centre, de l’Est et du Sud. MINTSS.
38. Palat, B. (2013). Etudes déclaratives et comportementales (simulateurs) de la prise de décision aux feux tricolores : interaction entre facteurs socio-psychologiques et contextuels (Thèse de Doctorat). Université Paris 8.
39. Perloff, L. S. (1983). Perceptions of vulnerability to victimization. Journal of Social Issues, 39, 41-61.
40. Potard, C. (2015). Validation française du Questionnaire du sentiment d’invulnérabilité à` l’adolescence. Revue canadienne des sciences du comportement, 1-9.
41. Potard, C., Kubiszewski, V., Camus, G., Courtois, R., & Gaymard, S. (2018). Driving under the influence of alcohol and perceived invulnerability among young adults: an extension of the theory of planned behavior. Transportation Research part F, 55, 38-46
42. Ravert, R. D., Schwartz, S. J., Zamboanga, B. L., & Kim, S.Y. (2009). Sensation seeking and danger invulnerability: paths to college student risk taking. Personality and individual differences, 47(7), 763-768.
43. Slovic, P., Fischhoff, B., & Lichtenstein, S. (1981). Facts and fears: societal perception of risk. Association for consumer Research, 5, 497-502
44. Rumar, K. (1988). Collective risk but individual safety. Ergonomics, 31, 507-518
45. Van de Leemput, C., & Ophélie, A. (2008). Etude de la gravite perçue, des attributions causales et de la perception des risques auprès de collègues de victimes d’accidents de travail. Studii şi Cercetări, 48-57.
46. Van Laere, P. (2018). Une approche psychosociale de la protection de l’environnement : perspective temporelle et distance psychologique (Thèse de Doctorat en psychologie). Université Paris Descartes.
47. Zheng, Y., Ma, Y., Guo, L., Cheng, J., & Zhang, Y. (2018). Predicting of Chinese drivers’intentions to park illegally in emergency lanes: an application of theory of planned behavior. Traffic injury prevention, 19, 629-636