Implementing Behaviour Change in Accessing Mental Health Provisions in UK Construction

<p dir="ltr"><i>Mental health awareness has been increasing in significance for many years with arguably a renewed focus on employees’ mental health and wellbeing since the end of the pandemic. Those within society who are particularly prone to suffer the worst from mental health issues are males and those from low socio-economic backgrounds. Therefore, given that the UK construction industry is made up of individuals that fulfil these criteria, the industry needs to ensure its mental health wellbeing provision is effective. However, there is a gap in current understanding around the level of effectiveness of current mental health provisions. Adopting a constructivist ontological perspective, this research addresses this gap using narrative analysis informed semi-structured interviews. Analysis reveals that all participants believe there is a need for mental health awareness provision in UK construction but significantly no participant reported using such services or witnessing anyone who had previously. The barriers identified as potentially limiting mental health wellbeing provision include how accessing such services would be perceived by colleagues, the participants industry experience, and the amount (or lack) of support provided by each contractor to its workforce. This research contributes to the awareness of mental health provision in the UK construction industry. It provides recommendations on how behaviour change can be implemented to facilitate greater access to mental health wellbeing services.</i></p>