Franklin, M; Walsh, M; Clarke, N; Spillane, J P and Bradley, J G (2022) Mental health in construction: The awareness of the impact of stress on construction professionals' mental health in Ireland and the UK. In: Tutesigensi, A and Neilson, C J (eds.) Proceedings of 38th Annual ARCOM Conference, 5-7 September 2022, Glasgow Caledonian University, Glasgow, UK.
Abstract
In recent years, various Health and Safety initiatives have led to significant improvement of physical safety on site, yet initiatives to safeguard the mental health of construction professionals still fall short, particularly in smaller construction companies. Due to the often-stressful nature of work on site, the mental health of construction professionals can be affected, impacting both home and work life. The aim of this pilot study was to investigate the levels and sources of such stress on site, evaluate the impact and to investigate the uptake and success of interventions. Sixty-two semi-structured interviews anchored on 5 stressor categories- organisational, task, personal, physical and industry characteristics were conducted. The data shows that the negative impact of stress on mental health is exacerbated by factors such as stigma, lack of understanding of mental health and a lack of awareness of and engagement with mental health education and support initiatives on site.
| Item Type: | Conference Paper (Paper) |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | construction industry; construction professionals; impacts of stress; interventions; mental health; stressors. |
| Index terms: | construction company, interview, stressors, health and safety, construction industry, mental health, Ireland, construction professional |
| Subjects: | industry analysis, health conditions and diseases, professional development, Geography, health safety and environment, organization, data collection methods |
| Topics: | Research Practice, Geographical Context, Information Management, Business Strategy, Health and Safety |
| Descriptive scope: | 4 PCTE |
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