Measures to improve the mental health of construction personnel based on expert opinions

Abstract

Increasing rates of depression, anxiety, and suicide in the construction industry have drawn the attention of researchers to consider mental health as an integral part of health and safety. However, prior research has focused mainly on determining the sources of work stress, with a paucity of studies related to measures to improve mental health. This study aims to fill this gap by evaluating the mix of measures within an integrated approach that can be adopted to promote good mental health. Surveys were collected from 62 construction experts based in 4 countries. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, structural equation modeling (SEM), and a post-survey interview. SEM showed that secondary intervention measures such as those focused on healthy coping and individual resilience do not necessarily mitigate mental health stressors; it also signals the importance of including primary intervention measures in a workplace mental health intervention. These findings highlight intervention measures that could be implemented to create a psychologically healthy workplace. These measures can guide policy-making to boost job satisfaction, mental health, safety, and performance. Furthermore, these results provide a compass for building construction organizations to determine which measures are yet to be implemented in their workplaces and need to be explored.