Aim: This research focuses on the wellbeing of male construction workers and aims to inform practical interventions to support their mental wellbeing. It builds on previous research highlighting the need for unconventional approaches to engage construction workers in conversations about mental health and wellbeing to improve outcomes. Specifically, this research aims to conceptualise how intimate partner relationships and work-related factors collectively impact the mental wellbeing of male construction workers. This interest is driven by the global rates of male suicides, particularly in Australasia, where the construction sector is notably affected (Hafeli, 2022; Jenkin & Atkinson, 2021).
Methods: Using a constructivist grounded theory methodology (Charmaz, 2025), this research delved into the lived experiences of 18 male construction workers in New Zealand. Data collection was conducted through in-depth semi-structured interviews, with participants recruited via MATES in Construction and industry networks. The data analysis process involved initial, focused, and theoretical coding, along with constant comparison and memo-writing, to develop a substantive theory grounded in the participants’ meanings and experiences.
Results: The study developed the substantive theory of Embodying Resilience: Reconstructing the Self, which describes wellbeing as a dynamic process comprising three categories. In the first phase, Reconciling Foundations: Conditioning Entry, workers grapple with the tension between their ‘internal blueprint’ and ‘site conditions’ driven by industry culture and systemic pressures. The convergence of these factors results in a ‘strain threshold’ where passive endurance strategies fail, risking illbeing. The second phase, Actively Navigating Domains: Processing Recursively, signifies the shift from endurance to active struggle. Here, resilience is mobilised through ‘relational anchoring’, establishing a ‘secure base’ with an intimate partner and ‘constructing contextual defences’ such as creating buffer zones or taking pride in craft. The final phase, Sustaining Wellbeing: Integrating Outcomes, represents the mature state where resilience is fully integrated. Workers engage in the active, ongoing process of ‘Reconstructing a Balanced Self’, to recognise that stability depends on the rigorous maintenance of interdependent physical, emotional, relational, and spiritual domains of wellbeing.
Conclusions: This research introduces a theoretical framework for suicide prevention in the construction industry, advancing beyond descriptions of stressors to uncover the psychosocial processes involved in Embodying Resilience. Importantly, the theory posits that wellbeing is a continuous effort to prevent the self from falling apart, heavily reliant on relational anchoring. These insights indicate that effective interventions must extend beyond the individual worker to support the ‘secure base’ of the family and address systemic issues.