Mental health and wellbeing supports for construction workers: Current initiatives and potential for the future
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Other Title
Authors
Thomas-Pye, Liza
Author ORCID Profiles (clickable)
Degree
Master of Professional Practice
Grantor
Otago Polytechnic | Te Pūkenga
Date
2024
Supervisors
Kirkwood, Jo
Forsyth, Glenys
Forsyth, Glenys
Type
Masters Thesis
Ngā Upoko Tukutuku (Māori subject headings)
Keyword
construction industry
mental health and wellbeing support
psychosocial risks
mental health initiatives
mental health and wellbeing support
psychosocial risks
mental health initiatives
ANZSRC Field of Research Code (2020)
Citation
Thomas-Pye, L. (2024). Mental health and wellbeing supports for construction workers: Current initiatives and potential for the future. (Unpublished document submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Professional Practice). Otago Polytechnic | Te Pūkenga, New Zealand. https://doi.org/10.34074/thes.6512
Abstract
In New Zealand, the construction sector leads the suicide statistics with workers twice more likely to take their own lives than the rest of the workforce. The challenges are complex with no quick fix solution. While reviewing previous research and relevant literature, there appeared to be multiple complex layers across other sectors which lead to a bigger problem for construction. There is a shortage of mental health practitioners across the spectrum, the chronic lack of government funding for mental health services, and the high risk of burnout for these practitioners. There are just two national construction-specific mental wellbeing support programmes available, and little innovation to create more. The message appeared to be that construction workers needed to reach out to their colleagues for help, or utilise the supports provided by their workplace. However, there was a lack of research which asked building trades and construction workers what mental health and wellbeing supports are currently available to them.
The aim of this research project was to gain clarification about what was currently available within the participants’ workplace, as well as provide a platform for their opinion about what initiatives they would like to be made accessible to them in the future. Quantitative research in the form of a survey was used to gain insight from 385 participants currently employed in the New Zealand construction sector. The participants provided 130 comments which were investigated through thematic analysis. The results found that there were insufficient supports available within their workplace. Informal check-ins with a boss or manager were the most used mental health and wellbeing supports across all subsets of the construction industry. External supports in the form of Employee Assistance Programmes (EAPs) were available to just one third of participants. Nearly half of the participants reported that one-on-one support was their most preferred support option. This was closely followed by informal events, mental health and wellbeing awareness workshops, and construction-friendly wellbeing programmes. Psychosocial risks were identified across the board from personal factors, to work-related as well as the wider industry.
The research results informed recommendations to create new targeted initiatives for construction workers as well as provided feedback for mental wellbeing practitioners. Further research opportunities were identified to bridge the gaps in current knowledge to enhance the literature into mental wellbeing in the construction industry workforce.
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This thesis is publicly available under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives licence CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 International. This licence applies except where otherwise indicated, especially for images. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/