Climate-Related Heat Stress and Psychological Outcomes in Self-Employed Delivery Workers: Evidence from Brasília, Brazil

Carlos Manoel Lopes Rodrigues () and Lígia Abreu Gomes Cruz
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Carlos Manoel Lopes Rodrigues: Postgraduate Program in Psychology, University Center of Brasília (CEUB), Brasília 70713-000, Brazil
Lígia Abreu Gomes Cruz: Institute of Psychology, Federal University of Uberlândia (UFU), Uberlândia 38400-902, Brazil

IJERPH, 2025, vol. 22, issue 11, 1-13

Abstract: This study examines whether daily heat exposure worsens psychological well-being among self-employed motorcycle delivery workers in Brasília, Brazil. Using ecological momentary assessment over 15 consecutive days in August 2025, 45 workers were recruited and 30 (66.7%) completed twice-daily mobile prompts (12:00 and 18:00) rating stress, fatigue, mood, and perceived heat (1–5 scales) and reporting kilometers traveled. Environmental data (temperature, relative humidity, barometric pressure) were paired from the INMET Brasília station. Linear regressions with cluster-robust standard errors by participant tested associations. Higher temperature was consistently related to greater strain: each +1 °C was associated with higher stress (β = 0.196, 95% CI 0.179–0.213), higher fatigue (β = 0.289, 95% CI 0.284–0.295), and worse mood (β = 0.149, 95% CI 0.130–0.168). Adding relative humidity yielded small but reliable partial effects (lower stress and better mood, yet higher fatigue) amid strong dry-season collinearity between temperature and humidity. The findings indicate that even modest day-to-day warming corresponds to measurable deterioration in psychological outcomes in a precarious, outdoor, platform-mediated workforce. Policies that expand hydration and shaded rest access, integrate heat indices into alerts, and adapt platform scheduling to reduce peak-heat exposure may mitigate risk.

Keywords: ecological momentary assessment; occupational heat; delivery workers; psychosocial risk (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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