Exploring the need for occupational psychological health management and interventions in the construction industry : an empirical study in Ghana

Abstract

Occupational psychology has recently attracted research attention in many professionals. However, research in occupational psychology is limited in the construction industry, with a focus on mainly stress studies. Psychological conditions such as depression, anxiety and job dissatisfaction could also affect the level of productivity and job performance of the construction employee, with consequential effects on the construction industry. This study aims at exploring the need for occupational psychological health management in the construction industry. This research aim was further divided into the following five research questions: (1) Are there psychological health indicators among the construction employees? (2) What are the construction work-related factors that are likely to expose construction employees to psychological health conditions? (3) What are the personal factors that might influence the psychological health conditions of the construction employees? (4) What are the coping behaviours adopted by the construction employees as their responses or efforts to deal with the psychological health conditions? and (5) What are the effects of the psychological ill-being conditions of construction employees on the construction industry? To achieve this research aim, structured questionnaires were distributed to 300 construction employees, comprising of 150 construction professionals and 150 construction trade workers, purposively selected from Ghana. Data analysis was done. The findings from the study confirms the need for occupational psychological health management and interventions for employees in the construction industry. Based on the results from the study, preliminary preventive psychological health management models were designed for the construction employees and the construction industry. The preventive models were divided into primary, secondary and tertiary strategies. The primary strategies sought to reduce construction employees’ vulnerability to psychological health conditions, by focusing on personal factors such as good time management skills and good relationship with others. The secondary strategies for construction employees sought to build their coping strategies, and the tertiary strategies sort to moderate the effects of psychological health conditions on the employees. The primary strategies for the construction industry aim at reducing or eliminating the construction work psychological risk factors. The secondary work strategies aim at providing organizational protective factors and the tertiary work strategies aim at enhancing the psychological well-being of the construction employees. This study recommends the input of all construction workers, construction managers and supervisors in providing organizational psychological health support to enhance the well-being of construction employees. Proper occupational intervention and management will also promote a psychologically safe and healthy construction working environment.