Exploring construction employees’ perspectives on the potential causes of psychological health conditions in the construction industry : a study in Ghana

Abstract

Psychological ill-health conditions have become prominent among construction employees. This study aims to identify construction work-related factors that are likely to expose construction employees to psychological ill-health conditions. To achieve this aim mixed-methods approach was adopted, with the methods of qualitative focus group study first employed to derive unique findings from the experiences, perceptions, and opinions of the research participants. A 42-inventory scale on construction work-related psychological risk factors was developed from the 16 focus group discussions held in Ghana. A comparative survey with 300 construction professionals and construction trade workers was then conducted in Ghana to confirm the findings from the qualitative study and to determine the critical risk factors. The most critical factors ranked by the construction professionals and construction trade workers were tight deadline pressures, and abusive/over-demanding supervision, respectively. Exploratory factor analysis employed revealed seven constructs of the 42 construction work-related risk factors, namely: high task demands, high role demands, poor relationships, poor work conditions, lack of autonomy, lack of feedback, and unfair treatments. Further analysis also revealed a positive correlation between all the factors and psychological health indicators. This study provides valuable insight into the development of preventive psychological health interventions for the construction industry globally.