Sound Distraction and Mental Health in the Workplace: The Role of Coping Strategies.

Stressful mood was significantly associated with multiple mental health outcomes including exhaustion, fatigue, poor sleep quality, and disengagement.

• Stressful mood was associated with exhaustion (β = 0.57, t = 6.64) and fatigue (β = 0.21, t = 4.86)
• Stressful mood was also correlated with poor sleep quality (β = -0.59, t = -4.42) and disengagement (β = -0.34, t = -2.88)
• Data were collected from two organisations with N = 214 participants
• Structural equation modelling was used to analyse the relationships
• The measurement model confirmed that three items loaded onto each mental health factor, which were strongly interrelated

Perceived distraction was negatively related to concentration ability in office workers.

• Perceived distraction was negatively related to concentration (β = -0.67, t = -5.38)
• Employees reporting low concentration and poor sleep tended to feel more disengaged
• The lack of concentration spaces and frequent individual-focused tasks amplified distraction and disturbance

Disturbance from unintelligible background sounds and disturbance from intelligible speech had opposite relationships with exhaustion.

• Disturbance from unintelligible background sounds was linked to higher exhaustion (β = 0.10, t = -2.99)
• Disturbance from intelligible speech showed an inverse relationship with exhaustion (β = -0.11, t = -2.63)
• Both disturbance types were strongly correlated with each other and both were associated with increased distraction

Coping strategies adopted by employees were predominantly avoidance-based and differed by type of sound disturbance.

• Working more slowly than usual was associated with disturbance from speech (β = 0.18, t = 3.17)
• Trying to be quieter was linked to disturbance from unintelligible sounds (β = 0.28, t = 3.44)
• Coping strategies were described as predominantly avoidance-based

Greater effort as a coping strategy showed a paradoxical relationship with fatigue and disengagement.

• Greater effort was paradoxically related to higher fatigue (β = 0.24, t = 2.41)
• Greater effort was also associated with lower disengagement (β = -0.098, t = -2.46)
• This finding suggests that approach-oriented coping may have both costs and benefits for mental health outcomes

Noise-sensitive employees reported higher stressful mood and were more likely to adopt avoidance coping strategies.

• Noise-sensitive employees reported higher stressful mood (β = 0.19, t = 3.62)
• Noise-sensitive employees were more likely to adopt avoidance coping strategies (β = 0.42, t = 6.88)
• Personal characteristics such as noise sensitivity were examined as part of the Person-Environment Fit theoretical framework

The study recommends organisational interventions to reduce chronic noise stressors and encourage approach-oriented coping.

• Organisations should reduce chronic noise stressors and encourage approach-oriented coping to mitigate long-term risks
• Providing acoustically optimised spaces and interventions such as sound masking can improve person-environment fit and support employee well-being
• The lack of concentration spaces was identified as an amplifier of distraction and disturbance
• The study was guided by Person-Environment Fit theory