The Psychological Effects of Commuting in Dublin

The study involves an investigation of the problems that commuters in Dublin face everyday, and attempts to shed further light on our understanding of how individual differences, (for example gender & perceived control), moderate the effects of commuting in terms of the individual’s stress and mood outcomes. Four modes of transport were investigated; those who commuted to work by car, bus, train, and walking. The survey sample was 187 worker-commuters employed in a number of banks located in Dublin’s IFSC. The study indicates that nearly 80 % of respondents reported their daily commute as a stressful experience, those who traveled by train-Dart experienced highest levels of stress and most negative moods on reaching their workplace. They were followed by car and bus commuters with walkers reporting least stress and most positive moods. The level of experienced impedance impacted on levels of stress with commuters who had experienced a high impedance commute recording higher stress and more negative moods than those who had a less eventful commute. Some gender differences were also recorded