Exploring the effects of occupational psychological disorders on construction employees and the construction industry

Abstract

Construction employees could experience occupational psychological disorders, such as workaholism and burnout due to their work, personality characteristics or lifestyle. This study sought to explore the effects of psychological disorders on construction employees and the construction industry. To achieve this aim, both the methods of focus group discussions and survey questionnaire were employed. The focus group discussions revealed 17 potential effects and 12 potential effects of psychological disorders on the construction employees and the construction industry respectively. A quantitative study was then employed to determine the key effects and to test the reliability of the findings from the focus group study. The results revealed that the highly perceived effects of psychological disorders on construction employees were accident-prone, chronic pain, insomnia or sleep disturbances, as these had the highest mean scores. The key effects also identified as perceived effects of construction employees’ psychological health conditions on the construction industry were: absenteeism/sick leave, errors in work, job dissatisfaction and increased medical costs. Exploratory factor analysis was employed, and the 17 effects on construction employees were categorized under behavioural effects and physiological effects. The 12 effects on the construction industry were also categorized under direct costs and indirect costs. The results from this study confirm the need for strategic interventions to mitigate the effects of occupational psychological disorders on construction employees and the construction industry of Ghana and to some extent globally. The exploratory nature of the study using preliminary findings from focus group discussions contributes to the literature on occupational health psychology.