An Analysis of Suicide Rates among Occupational Categories

Labovitz, Sanford; Hagedorn, Robert

doi:10.1111/j.1475-682x.1971.tb01201.x

Cited by 27 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…A frequently cited study from the United States showed that the suicide rate of police officers was 47.6 per 100,000 per year in 1950 (Guralnick, 1963; Labovitz & Hagedorn, 1971). This was the second highest suicide rate among 36 occupations (Labovitz & Hagedorn, 1971). Stack & Kelley (1994) analyzed data from 16 states in 1985 ( N = 33), a sample representing all regions of the nation.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Suicide in Police—A Critical Review

Hem

Berg

Ekeberg

2001

Suicide & Life Threat Behav

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Police officers are commonly referred to as a high-risk group for suicide. So far no comprehensive review has been published about epidemiologic studies among police. This article systematically explores the worldwide literature on suicide in police. None of the recent nationwide studies show elevated suicide rates among police. Other studies show inconsistent results. Conclusively, it is not documented that there is an elevated suicide rate in police. A particular problem in previous research has been methodological shortcomings. There is need for further systematic research, and this review points out some strategies of research.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Suicide in Police—A Critical Review

Hem

Berg

Ekeberg

2001

Suicide & Life Threat Behav

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“…Occupations such as sole business operator and physician would be expected to have more suicide risk than machinists and mail carriers, who are not directly dependent on clients for the source of their livelihood. In a pilot study of 36 occupations, Labovitz and Hagedorn (1971) found a mean suicide rate of 40.5 per 100,000 for persons in client-dependent occupations versus a mean of 25.9 per 100,000 for persons in non-client-dependent occupations. Gibbs and Martin's (1964) theory of status integration provides a framework for predicting occupational stress.…”

Section: Internal Occupational Stressmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…Lalli and Turner (1968) provide national data from 1950 but for only six general occupational categories for males ages 20-64. Labovitz and Hagedorn (1971) present data on suicide rates for 36 selected specific occupations for males in 1950. Many specific occupations are found in only one of the articles.…”

Section: Previous Work On Occupation and Suicidementioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, there is considerable variation within broad occupational groups. For example, at high prestige levels we have professors and electrical engineers with relatively low suicide rates, on the one hand, and physicians and dentists with relatively high suicide rates, on the other hand (Labovitz and Hagedorn, 1971;Stack, 1996a;Wasserman, 1992).…”

Section: Demographicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Occupation and Suicide

Stack

2001

Social Science Quarterly

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Objective. Research on occupation and suicide has neglected multivariate models. It is not clear, for example, if persons in alleged "high-risk" occupations have high suicide risk because of occupational stress associated with the occupation or because of the demographic composition of the people in the occupation. The present study explores the relationship between occupation and suicide for 32 occupational groups. Methods. Data are from the national mortality file tapes, which cover 21 states. They refer to 9,499 suicides and 134,386 deaths from all other causes in 1990. Results. Bivariate logistic regression models find a total of 15 occupations with either significantly higher (e.g., dentists, artists, machinists, auto mechanics, and carpenters) or lower (e.g., clerks, elementary school teachers, cooks) risk than the rest of the working-age population. Multivariate models that remove the demographic covariates of occupation find only eight occupations with greater or lower than expected risk of death by suicide. Conclusion. The results underscore the need for demographic controls in the assessment of occupational risk of suicide. They are consistent with a previous study based on data from England. The findings provide the first systematic evidence on the problem for the United States.

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“…Various occupational stressors, including dependence on clients for livelihood (Labowitz and Hagedorn 1971), social isolation (Stack 1996), a demanding job with low autonomy (Karasek 1979), high effort with low reward (Siegrist and others 1990) and long working hours are pertinent, but not unique, to the veterinary profession. No specific occupational factors have been linked to suicidal behaviour in veterinarians (Platt and others 2012).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A cross‐sectional study of mental health in UK veterinary undergraduates

et al. 2013

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Wellbeing (positive mental health) and mental ill-health of veterinary students from a single UK school were quantified using validated psychological scales. Attitudes towards mental ill-health and suicide were also assessed. Results were compared with published data from the UK general population and veterinary profession. Of the total student population (N=1068), 509 (48 per cent) completed a questionnaire. Just over half (54 per cent) of the respondents had ever experienced mental ill-health, with the majority reporting a first occurrence before veterinary school. Student wellbeing was significantly poorer (p<0.0001) than general population estimates, but not significantly different (p=0.2) from veterinary profession estimates. Degree of mental distress in students was significantly higher than in the general population (p<0.0001). Despite the majority (94 per cent) agreeing that 'Anyone can suffer from mental health problems', students were significantly more likely than members of the general population to agree that 'If I were suffering from mental health problems, I wouldn't want people knowing about it' (p<0.0001). Students were more likely to have thought about suicide, but less likely to have made an attempt (p<0.001; p=0.005), than members of the general population. The possibility of non-response bias must be considered when interpreting findings. However, strong similarities between results from this study population and the UK veterinary profession, as well as other veterinary student populations internationally, suggest no substantial school-level bias.

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An Analysis of Suicide Rates among Occupational Categories

Cited by 27 publications

References 13 publications

Suicide in Police—A Critical Review

Suicide in Police—A Critical Review

Occupation and Suicide

A cross‐sectional study of mental health in UK veterinary undergraduates

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