Open Access

ARTICLE

Uncertainty Stress and Its Correlates among Platform Delivery Riders in China

Dan Wu^1,2, Hongchen Luo¹, Daniel Hall³, Francis Cheung⁴, Yingrui Yin¹, Shanyue Li¹, Shuhan Jiang⁵, Duo Jiang^1,2,*
1 School of Psychology, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China
2 The Shenzhen Humanities & Social Sciences Key Research Bases of the Center for Mental Health, Shenzhen, China
3 Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
4 Department of Psychology, Lingnan University, Hong Kong SAR, China
5 College of Humanities and Management, Zhejiang University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Hangzhou, China
* Corresponding Author: Duo Jiang. Email:

International Journal of Mental Health Promotion https://doi.org/10.32604/ijmhp.2026.083732

Received 09 April 2026; Accepted 25 May 2026; Published online 22 June 2026

Abstract

Background: As social development accelerates and workforce competition intensifies, uncertainty is increasingly recognized as a core component of contemporary stress, particularly in the rapidly expanding platform (gig) economy. Platform delivery riders operate under algorithmic control, unstable income, and opaque evaluation systems, yet the magnitude and correlates of their uncertainty stress remain under-investigated. This study aimed to quantify the level of uncertainty stress among platform delivery riders and to identify work- and lifestyle-related factors associated with it. Methods: A cross-sectional correlational design was used. Between August and December 2022, platform delivery riders in Shenzhen and Guangzhou (two megacities in southern China) were recruited via street-intercept and snowball sampling. Of 1976 riders who consented, 1949 completed the online self-administered questionnaire, and 1879 valid responses were retained for analysis. Uncertainty stress (assessed with the 4-item Uncertainty Stress Scale), work conflict, work pace, job insecurity, sociodemographic characteristics, structural job characteristics, and lifestyle behaviors were measured. Data were analyzed using independent-samples t-tests, one-way ANOVA, Pearson correlations, and hierarchical multiple linear regression. Results: Uncertainty stress was elevated overall (total summed score: Mean = 11.88, SD = 4.34; mean item score = 2.97), and 40.2% of riders reported severe uncertainty stress (defined as a total score > 12). In the fully adjusted multivariate model, higher uncertainty stress was independently associated with being divorced or widowed (β = 0.053, p = 0.015), higher work conflict (β = 0.290, p < 0.001), faster work pace (β = 0.078, p < 0.001), and higher job insecurity (β = 0.153, p < 0.001); conversely, higher monthly income (β = −0.107, p < 0.001), longer working years (β = −0.048, p = 0.037), and regular exercise (β = −0.107, p < 0.001) were associated with lower uncertainty stress. Conclusion: Platform delivery riders bear a disproportionately high burden of uncertainty stress. Psychosocial job demands—particularly customer-driven work conflict—were the most potent correlates, while regular exercise appeared protective. Given the continued growth of platform delivery, longitudinal and intervention studies are needed to develop and evaluate programs that address uncertainty stress in this workforce.

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Keywords

Uncertainty stress; platform delivery riders; work conflict; work pace; job insecurity; lifestyle

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