Research

Causes and Drivers of Addiction and Suicide in the Trades

As the sole substance use treatment service to the construction and building trades of Ontario, De Novo Treatment Centre has firsthand seen the effects of the addiction and suicide crisis. As a result, we wanted to better understand the drivers behind these issues. De Novo received funds from the Ministry of Immigration, Labour, Training, and Skills Development through the Skills Development Fund to conduct this research. We partnered with the Provincial Building and Construction Trades Council of Ontario and the Ontario Erectors Association, and along with market research firm Pollara Strategic Insights, we led research to better understand the causes and drivers of addiction and suicide among Ontario’s construction and building trades.

In total, online surveys were completed by 1,267 participants from June 11, 2021 to July 25, 2021, consisting of the following populations:

  • Members/employees of the building trades: 1011 respondents

  • Leadership in the industry: 167 respondents

  • Past De Novo clients: 78 respondents

Overall, the main reasons for substance use and suicidal ideation among construction workers were commonly expressed by all three population groups surveyed. After the results from all the surveys were analyzed, five key drivers emerged.

Work Habits and Schedule – 44%-49% of respondents

  • Physical pain due to the kind of work involved;

  • Long working hours;

  • Not eating and/or living healthy;

  • Working in shifts, not having a fixed sleeping pattern, trouble falling asleep, feeling tired, and low on energy.

Personal Relations – 45%-47% of respondents

  • Staying away from home and/or family for extended periods of time;

  • Living on the go, travelling a lot, staying in hotels, and not being able to spend enough time at home;

  • Feeling unable to maintain relationships;

  • Feeling isolated and cut off from family and friends;

  • Not having anyone to talk to, feelings of being alone or lonely.

Mental Health: Stress, Anxiety and Depression – 40%-41% of respondents

  • Work related stress;

  • Feeling sad, depressed, or hopeless;

  • Feeling anxious, restless, or uneasy;

  • Stress, anxiety, and depression caused by other drivers (i.e. finances, personal relations, bullying, etc.).

Finances – 35%-44% of respondents

  • Financial insecurity;

  • Not being able to pay bills;

  • Uncertainty about the next job, or getting the next job;

  • Accepting jobs for the sake of having a job.

Discrimination and Abuse – 24%-26% of respondents

  • Bullying by other members and/or the leaders;

  • Getting abused physically, verbally, or mentally at the jobsite;

  • Being of a different racial or ethnic background (being non-white), including speaking a different language and struggling in mixing with colleagues;

  • LGBTQ2S+ members experiencing discrimination at higher rates;

  • Being a woman in a male dominated industry – sexual harassment.

How to cite this data: De Novo Treatment Centre. (2021). Causes and drivers of addiction and suicide in the trades. Retrieved from Denovo.ca

 
This Employment Ontario project is funded in part by the Government of Canada and the Government of Ontario.
 
Ce projet Emploi Ontario est financé en partie par le gouvernement du Canada est le gouvernement de l’Ontario.

This project is also conducted in partnership with the Provincial Building and Construction Trades Council of Ontario.