Mental health and suicide prevention programs in the U.S. Construction industry

Each year 20-25 percent of the general population meets the criteria for a mental health diagnosis in the United States. This research focuses on the increase in mental health issues and suicide in the U.S. construction industry. A 2016 report, released in 2020 by the U.S. Centre for Disease Control (CDC), placed the construction industry as second among all other industries in suicide rate. This research seeks to quantify awareness of mental health and suicide as issues affecting construction employees within the U.S. construction industry, identify awareness of the particular risk factors facing U.S. construction workers which increase mental health and suicide in the industry, qualitatively evaluate the effectiveness and adequacy of existing mental health and suicide awareness/prevention programs, and qualitatively assess if the benefits of instituting comprehensive mental health and suicide awareness/prevention programs outweigh the costs of such programs. Data was collected utilizing an anonymous survey distributed to construction managers, safety professionals, professional organizations, labour/trade organizations, and field employees within the construction industry. A total of 103 respondents completed the survey. The research identifies differences that exist among the different professional roles in the U.S. industry, with respect to awareness, effectiveness, adequacy, and risk factors. An analysis of the data also identifies differences between types of construction organizations (general contractor, subcontractor, etc.) and size of the organization. The research is important to the future of the industry and will help identify where additional focus is needed in mental health treatment and suicide prevention in the U.S.