Payment problems and suicide: life under financial strain

Suicide deaths are often linked to impulsivity during moments of crisis, such as financial difficulties, relationship breakdowns and poor health. For individuals experiencing financial problems, risk factors for suicide can commonly include circumstances surrounding payment problems, including unemployment, divorce, low education and low income mediated by debt.

In this study, we investigate the impact of payment problems on suicide in Norway using a spline-based parametric survival analysis, with suicide as the outcome variable. With access to high quality Norwegian register data and unique information on payment problems, defined as deductions in wages or benefits, we investigated suicide amongst the entire adult Norwegian population over an 11-year period (2008-2018).

We found that the prevalence of payment problems among the Norwegian population between 2009 and 2018 was associated with a higher risk of suicide for both males and females. Despite the greater proportion of suicide occurring amongst males both globally and in Norway, we found that women experiencing financial hardship had a relatively higher suicide risk when adjusted for demographic variables than their male counterparts.

These findings highlight the need for stronger protections for individuals struggling with financial difficulties and emphasise the importance of further research on the relationship between payment problems and suicide, with the aim of informing and enhancing national suicide prevention strategies.