192. Mental health service needs and countermeasures for employees during the construction period of large-scale infrastructure

Abstract Background Large-scale infrastructure projects are characterized by extended timelines, confined environments, and high-risk conditions, placing workers under prolonged physical and psychological stress. Previous research has predominantly focused on physical safety, with limited analysis of mental health service needs during the peak construction phase. Psychological crises serve as latent triggers for violations and safety incidents, yet current interventions often lack substantive evidence-based support. This study aims to identify primary psychological distress and core service demands among infrastructure workers during construction through field-based empirical investigation. It quantifies the relationship between "construction schedule pressure-mental health-service demand" to provide scientific basis for developing targeted engineering psychological support systems, thereby filling gaps in intervention strategies within this field. Methods Three national-level large-scale transportation infrastructure project sites under construction in a certain province were selected as research locations. Using stratified cluster sampling, a total of 650 frontline workers and on-site managers were recruited. The research implementation comprised three phases: Phase I collected demographic data using a self-developed General Information Questionnaire. Phase II assessed mental health using the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item Scale (GAD-7) and Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), defining positive symptoms as scores ≥5. Phase 3 distributed the Psychological Service Needs Questionnaire, covering four dimensions: psychological counseling, stress reduction, crisis intervention, and family support. All data were collected via encrypted mobile terminals at the construction site, with invalid questionnaires strictly excluded. Ultimately, 612 valid questionnaires were recovered, yielding a response rate of 94.2%. Results: Data indicate that mental health levels among construction personnel during the project period generally fall below national adult norms, with high-intensity workloads and lack of family support emerging as core risk factors (see Table 1). Analysis reveals significant differences in needs across job categories (p