Long-Term Unemployment and Suicide: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Abstract

PurposeThere have been a number of reviews on the association+ between unemployment and suicide, but none have investigated how this relationship is influenced by duration of unemployment.MethodA systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted of those studies that assessed duration of unemployment as a risk factor for suicide. Studies considered as eligible for inclusion were population-based cohort or case-control designs; population-based ecological designs, or hospital based clinical cohort or case-control designs published in the year 1980 or later.ResultsThe review identified 16 eligible studies, out of a possible 10,358 articles resulting from a search of four databases: PubMed, Web of Knowledge, Scopus and Proquest. While all 16 studies measured unemployment duration in different ways, a common finding was that longer duration of unemployment was related to greater risk of suicide and suicide attempt. A random effects meta-analysis on a subsample of six cohort studies indicated that the pooled relative risk of suicide in relation to average follow-up time after unemployment was 1.70 (95% CI 1.22 to 2.18). However, results also suggested a possible habituation effect to unemployment over time, with the greatest risk of suicide occurring within five years of unemployment compared to the employed population (RR = 2.50, 95% CI 1.83 to 3.17). Relative risk appeared to decline in studies of those unemployed between 12 and 16 years compared to those currently employed (RR = 1.21, 95% CI 1.10 to 1.33).ConclusionFindings suggest that long-term unemployment is associated with greater incidence of suicide. Results of the meta-analysis suggest that risk is greatest in the first five years, and persists at a lower but elevated level up to 16 years after unemployment. These findings are limited by the paucity of data on this topic.

A decision-support tool to inform Australian strategies for preventing suicide and suicidal behaviour

“…However, in the context of using SD models to inform the prioritisation of evidence based interventions, SD models provide hypothesised effects that can subsequently be assessed using empirical data. Other evidence on potentially effective interventions from observational studies (for example, relating to educational achievement 19 , unemployment 20 or early intervention for mental illness 21 ) may be additional areas for consideration in subsequent dynamic models of suicidal behaviour. SD models can be calibrated for any given geographic context or subpopulation of interest, and are strengthened through participatory model-building exercises involving local stakeholders -a central principle that ensures that the resulting decision-support tool is directly relevant to decision makers.…”

The Emotional Timeline of Unemployment: Anticipation, Reaction, and Adaptation

“…Contemporary research on the individual consequences of unemployment has focused primarily on its effects on mental and physical health, suicide, and well-being, whereby the latter research strand is among the most ambitious in terms of analyzing the subjective experiential effects of unemployment (e.g., McKee-Ryan et al 2005;Lucas et al 2004;Nordenmark and Strandh 1999;Oesch and Lipps 2012;Wanberg 2012;Milner, Page, and LaMontagne 2013;Chen, Marks, and Bersani 1994).…”

L’impact du chômage sur la santé

“…Ainsi, une compilation des études prospectives réalisées jusqu'en 2009 montre que le chômage est associé à une surmortalité, toutes causes confondues, de 60 % après ajustement sur l'âge et les autres facteurs confondants [11]. Les causes de cette surmortalité semblent multiples : les données indiquant un taux de suicide plus élevé sont convaincantes [12], celles issues de la littéra-ture disponible jusqu'en 1997 [13] et des études publiées par la suite [14,15] [6,[16][17][18][19].…”