Relationship of suicide rates to economic variables in Europe (original) (raw)
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Relationship of suicide rates to economic variables in Europe: 2000-2011
The British journal of psychiatry : the journal of mental science, 2014
It is unclear whether there is a direct link between economic crises and changes in suicide rates. The Lopez-Ibor Foundation launched an initiative to study the possible impact of the economic crisis on European suicide rates. Data was gathered and analysed from 29 European countries and included the number of deaths by suicide in men and women, the unemployment rate, the gross domestic product (GDP) per capita, the annual economic growth rate and inflation. There was a strong correlation between suicide rates and all economic indices except GPD per capita in men but only a correlation with unemployment in women. However, the increase in suicide rates occurred several months before the economic crisis emerged. Overall, this study confirms a general relationship between the economic environment and suicide rates; however, it does not support there being a clear causal relationship between the current economic crisis and an increase in the suicide rate.
Suicide rates in the European Union Countries. An analysis from a multivariate approach
Global Journal of Health Science
Suicide is one of the most important causes of death in the European Union Countries (EU) and is considered as a phenomenon which can be explained from a psychological, biological and social point of view. Objectives: This research will analyze the phenomenon of suicide in the European Union from a sociological point of view, with the aim of creating a multivariate model which explains such phenomenon. Method: Taking into account those data offered by the European Statistics Office (EUROSTAT), this study will try to explain, through the multiple linear regression model, suicide rates in European countries from demographic variables (number of inhabitants, divorce rate, ratio of women), economic variables (Gross Domestic Product (GDP), general government gross debt), social variables (government expenditure on social protection, population at risk of poverty) or educational variables (public expenditure on education and population with secondary education). Conclusions: A model to ex...
Cohort Effects on Suicide Rates: International Variations
American Sociological Review, 2002
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The Effects of the Last Global Economic Crisis on the Suicide Rate in Europe
International Review of Management and Business Research
The effect of unemployment on suicide has not been clearly demonstrated, some studies have associated the increase in the number of suicides with the increase in unemployment during the economic crisis, other studies show that there is a non-linear relationship between unemployment and suicide. In order to analyze the consequences of the last global economic crisis, which began in the summer of 2008, on mortality by suicide in the European Union countries, between 2007-2015, we extracted the data on the mortality rate according to age group, genders and the cause of the underlying death from WHO and EUROSTAT databases.
Suicide mortality in the European Union
The European Journal of Public Health, 2003
on behalf of the EUROSAVE Working Group * Background: There are an estimated one million completed suicides per year worldwide. As a response to increasing concern about suicide within Europe, the EUROSAVE (European Review of Suicide and Violence Epidemiology) study was undertaken to examine recent trends in the epidemiology of suicide and self-inflicted injury mortality in the European Union (EU). Methods: Suicide and self-inflicted injury mortality data for the 15 EU countries for the years 1984-1998 were obtained from the World Health Organisation (WHO), the European Statistical Office of the European Commission (EUROSTAT) and national statistical agencies. Data were also obtained for a second group of deaths classified as 'undetermined' or 'other violence'. Age-standardized mortality rates were calculated and examined for trends over time. Results: Finland had the highest suicide rate, while Greece had the lowest for the latest available year (1997). Age-standardized suicide rates tended to be lowest in the Mediterranean countries. Significant downward linear time trends in suicide mortality were observed in most countries, although rates varied markedly between countries. Both Ireland and Spain displayed significant upward linear trends in suicide mortality. Portugal had the highest rate of undetermined deaths both in 1984 and 1998 while Greece had the lowest in both 1984 and 1997. Five countries (including Ireland and Spain) showed significant downward trends in deaths due to undetermined causes whereas Belgium and Germany showed borderline significant upward linear trends in deaths due to undetermined causes. Conclusions: Although suicide rates in most countries seem to be decreasing, the validity of the data is uncertain. Misclassification may contribute to the geographical and temporal variation in suicide rates in some EU countries but it does not explain the phenomenon. More detailed research comparing suicide-recording procedures and practices across the EU is required. In the absence of adequate EU wide data on suicide epidemiology, effective prevention of this distressing phenomenon is likely to remain elusive.
Inter-regional variations in suicide rates
Psychiatria Danubina, 2012
Suicidal behaviour is a significant public health problem. Suicide alone represents the 10th leading cause of death worldwide. Suicide is a complex phenomenon and may be the result of an interaction of biological, psychological and socioeconomic factors. Although there are many differences in suicide rates between different countries in the world, some studies reported huge differences of suicide rates between different regions within the same country as well. The studies that investigated the regional differences in suicide rates were gathered in the present article. The studies revealed that depression frequently remained unidentified and thus untreated and could contribute to high regional suicide rates. It could be speculated that access to services, which increases the possibility of diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders, could have an impact on regional suicide rates. Thus the availability of services may be relevant in explaining geographical variations in suicide incid...
American Journal of Psychiatry, 2003
Objective: Suicide risk was addressed in relation to the joint effect of factors regarding family structure, socioeconomics, demographics, mental illness, and family history of suicide and mental illness, as well as gender differences in risk factors.