Structure, levels, and demographic correlates of mental health among young construction personnel

Overall mental health is determined by the relationship between positive and negative mental health symptoms within individuals. Although construction mental health research has expanded, the structural relationship between positive mental health and mental ill-health symptoms remains untested through competing theoretical models, especially among young workers in Global South contexts. This study examines this relationship among young construction personnel in Ghana. In a survey of 425 participants, positive mental health was measured using the Construction Industry Positive Mental Health Inventory, and negative mental health was assessed with the DSM-5. Guided by Keyes’ dual-continuum model, positive mental health was conceptualised as multidimensional well-being, while negative mental health represented recent symptoms of mental ill-health. Confirmatory factor analysis compared five theoretically informed measurement models: unidimensional, orthogonal, oblique, higher-order, and bifactor. The two-axis oblique and bifactor models showed acceptable fit, indicating that well-being and mental ill-health symptoms should be assessed separately but interpreted jointly. Substantial sample proportions reported mental ill-health symptoms, while most respondents were classified as having moderate to flourishing positive mental health. Educational level was significantly associated with mental health conditions. Findings support hybrid interventions that reduce mental ill-health symptoms, strengthen positive mental health, and advance construction mental health research beyond illness-only approaches.