Do Changes in Employment Status Induce or "Harvest" Suicides?

Area of Science:

• Sociology
• Psychiatry
• Public Health

Background:

• Economic contractions have been linked to suicide, with two main hypotheses: induction (new suicides) and displacement (earlier suicides).
• A Swedish study found support for both induction and displacement hypotheses.
• Replication of these findings in different populations is crucial for understanding the relationship between economic change and suicide.

Purpose of the Study:

• To replicate a Swedish study on suicide following economic contractions in New South Wales, Australia.
• To test the induction and displacement hypotheses of suicide.
• To examine the association between economic changes and suicide rates over an extended period.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of suicide data from New South Wales, Australia.
• Examination of data for the period 2000-2011 and an extended period of 1978-2015.
• Statistical analysis to test the induction and displacement hypotheses.

Main Results:

• The Australian study did not fully replicate the Swedish findings.
• Greater support was found for the induction hypothesis, suggesting economic change may precipitate suicide in individuals not previously at risk.
• Significant associations between economic changes and suicide varied by sex and age group.

Conclusions:

• Findings support the Durkheim hypothesis linking suicide rates to low social integration and economic changes acting as stressors.
• Economic contractions appear to act as a precipitant stressor, potentially inducing suicide.
• The impact of economic changes on suicide is complex and varies across demographic groups.