Duckworth, J; Hasan, A and Kamardeen, I (2024) Mental health challenges of manual and trade workers in the construction industry: A systematic review of causes, effects and interventions. Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, 31(4), pp. 1497-1516. ISSN 0969-9988
Abstract
Purpose: Data from different countries suggest a higher prevalence of anxiety, depression and suicides among manual and trade workers in the construction industry than in the general population. The present review examines the causes and effects of poor mental health and the effectiveness of interventions to improve manual and trade workers' mental health in the construction industry. It also identifies gaps in research and makes several suggestions for practice and future research. Design/methodology/approach: A systematic literature review was conducted to examine and consolidate evidence reported in 54 relevant journal articles published between 2010 and 2021 on the mental health of manual and trade workers. Findings: Three major themes emerged in the review of the 54 journal articles: causes of poor mental health, effects of poor mental health and interventions to improve mental health. The leading causes of poor mental health among construction manual and trade workers are poor work-life balance, high job demand, poor cultural norms and mental health stigma, chronic bodily pain, lack of social support, workplace injustice and job insecurity. The prominent effects of poor mental health are suicidality, drug and alcohol addiction, poor workplace safety and poor work performance. Moreover, the study found that some of the strategies recently implemented in the construction industry to improve mental health are deemed ineffective, or their effectiveness remains inconclusive. Research limitations/implications: The review's scope is limited to research on manual and trade workers, and it did not investigate the mental health of construction professionals and construction management students. Originality/value: The review provides valuable insights into the causes and effects of poor mental health among manual and trade workers and the effectiveness of mental health interventions in the construction industry.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | construction trade workers; manual construction workers; mental health; mental health program; suicides; systematic review |
| Index terms: | work performance, mental health, construction professional, depression, methodology, work-life balance, population, suicide, strategy, alcohol, effectiveness, anxiety, evidence, job demand, workplace safety, construction industry, systematic literature review, pain, construction worker, program, journal, norms |
| Subjects: | professional development, health conditions and diseases, evaluation and assessment methods, management, practitioner, sociology, research methods, operations management, research dissemination and communication, performance management, research evaluation and metrics, occupational health, industry analysis, software systems, demography, environmental health, psychology, mental health and wellbeing |
| Topics: | Health and Safety, Roles and Professions, Sustainability, Digital Applications, Quality Management, Human Resources, Research Practice, Project Management, Information Management, Business Strategy, Urban Studies |
| Descriptive scope: | 5 PCTEA |
N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here