[Suicidal ideation in urban workers in a large municipality, Bahia State, Brazil]

This study aimed to investigate the association between psychosocial aspects of work, socioeconomic factors, and global dissatisfaction with suicidal ideation in workers in a large municipality. This cross-sectional study was carried out with data from the second wave of a prospective cohort with a population aged 15 years or older who lived in the urban area of a large municipality in Bahia, Brazil. A structured questionnaire on sociodemographic, work, and leisure data was applied. Occupational stressors were investigated by the Effort-Reward Imbalance and Job Content Questionnaire, global dissatisfaction was measured by WHOQOL-BREF indicators, and suicidal ideation was evaluated by item 17 of the Self-Reporting Questionnaire. Structural equation modeling was processed and complex samples were weighted. Ideation frequency in the 1,629 studied workers totaled 5%, showing strong, significant, and directed direct effects with global dissatisfaction (β = 0.72) and a medium one for the high emotional demand of work (β = 0.27). The female gender, lower monthly income, absence of leisure activities, excessive commitment to work, and high emotional demand showed significant indirect effects (mediated by global dissatisfaction). The paths in this study evince a chain of events that, mediated by feelings of dissatisfaction, make workers vulnerable and make them suffer. This set of factors potentiates suicidal ideation and makes them consider suicide as an alternative that will stop their suffering.