Exploring Mental Health Triggers, Challenges, and Support Across Different Roles in the UK Construction Industry: Perspectives from Clients, Consultants, and Contractors.

The construction industry is considered one of the high-pressure working environments with jobs that can be physically demanding and, traditionally, suffer from ‘Macho’ culture; thus, with significant mental health issues. The objective study is to examine the mental health drivers, barriers, and support for mental health needs within the UK construction industry. Through semi-structured interviews with clients, consultants, and contractors, the research explores how mental health is perceived by these key stakeholders. Clients identify high-pressure deadlines and financial risks as major stressors, consultants point to the incessant workload culture coupled with project constraints, and contractors’ emphasis insufficient resource concerns and physical demands. The study reveals significant organisational and cultural barriers to mental health. It contributes by identifying mental health issues in their employees and better understand how mental health issues can be mitigated within the workplace. It also gives line managers and organisations an awareness of appropriate interventions for addressing mental health issues as well as adding to existing literature.