Abstract
Objectives: Mental health difficulties are highly prevalent among UK construction workers yet help-seeking remains low. Existing research suggests workers prefer informal support (e.g., family and friends) over formal sources, but little is known about their preferences for different intervention types. This study explored construction workers’ experiences of help-seeking and their preferences for various help sources and interventions.
Methods: A cross-sectional online questionnaire was completed by a convenience sample of UK construction workers (N = 127). The survey assessed experiences of mental health difficulties, previous help-seeking behaviour, and likelihood of accessing a range of help sources (informal and formal) and intervention types (e.g., exercise, therapy, medication, workshops).
Results: Over half of participants reported a history of mental health difficulties. Consistent with prior research, participants showed greater preference for informal over formal help sources. The most commonly accessed interventions were exercise, talking therapy, and medication, while educational workshops and Employee Assistance Programmes were least accessed. When rating likelihood of future use, exercise was the most preferred intervention, whereas helplines, educational workshops, and group therapies were least preferred. Exploratory analyses suggested potential differences by age and job role, although these findings should be interpreted with caution.
Conclusions: The findings highlight clear differences in the acceptability of intervention types among construction workers, with a preference for more informal and accessible forms of support. These results offer direction for future research and clinical implications for the design of acceptable and accessible mental health support within the industry