Factors associated with effective implementation of psychological health interventions in the construction industry

Abstract

The staggering social and economic costs associated with psychological ill-being conditions among workers require efforts to mitigate its causes and effects through evidence-based psychological health interventions. However, such interventions in the workplace are not without challenges and obstacles. The purpose of the study is to identify influential factors associated with effective implementation of psychological health interventions in the construction industry. This study adopted the mixed-methods approach employing in sequence the methods of qualitative and quantitative research to achieve the aim of the study. A total of 53 interviews and 264 questionnaire surveys were conducted in Ghana with construction professionals, construction trade workers, regulatory personnel, and occupational health psychologist. The qualitative study revealed 18 influential factors associated with the implementation of psychological health interventions. These findings were confirmed by the quantitative survey to be statistically significant. A comparative analysis of the responses from the three groups of respondents showed some statistically significant differences in the ratings of the influential factors, which may be due to the group’s interest and diversity. The highly influential factors revealed in the quantitative study included willingness of employees to cooperate with the intervention procedures, perceptions on the benefits of the psychological health interventions, impact of stigmatization and discrimination, level of awareness on indicators of psychological health conditions, cost of implementing the intervention and extent of management commitment and support. This study offers valuable information for construction stakeholders and policymakers on factors to consider for successful psychological health management and interventions in the construction industry.