scholarly journals Children Mirror Adults for the Worse: Evidence of Suicide Rates due to Air Pollution and Recessions

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Akihiro Okuyama ◽  
Sunbin Yoo ◽  
Shunsuke Managi
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Suicidal Behavior ◽  
Economic Recession ◽  
Suicide Mortality ◽  
Simultaneous Occurrence ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Suicide Rates ◽  
Economic Recessions ◽  
Triple Difference ◽  
The Government

[Background] Every year, more than 700,000 die due to suicide, one of the most common reasons for youth death. While many studies have revealed two main factors for suicidal behavior: impulsive suicidal behavior due to mental illness and financial stress, it is not clear what happens if individuals face deterioration of mental health and economic recession. This paper attempts to answer this question and how suicide rates are correlated with these factors.[Methods] We empirically investigate whether economic recessions and air pollution trigger suicides by examining Japan, a country with one of the highest suicide rates, from 2014 to 2021. We take advantage of the characteristics of the COVID-19 pandemic and the periods before the pandemic when both economic recessions and reductions in air pollution occurred simultaneously. Using monthly and municipal-level data, we construct a triple difference model that takes air pollution and unemployment as treatments.[Results] Our findings show that high levels of air pollution and unemployment have substantial impacts on the suicide rates of adults (22.9% in the short term) and children (42.7% in the short term, 36.0% in the long term), indicating that the increase in suicide rates among children is almost twice as high as that among adults. Our study finds that unemployment and air pollution alone are not associated with increased suicide rates but their simultaneous occurrence triggers suicides.[Conclusions] Our study urges suicide prevention, particularly among children, as an essential consideration for public health. Furthermore, our results indicate the need for the government to allocate resources to recover air quality and the economy simultaneously during a recession to reduce suicide mortality.

scholarly journals Economic crises and suicides between 1970 and 2011: time trend study in 21 developed countries

2019 ◽  
Vol 73 (4) ◽  
pp. 311-316 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sanna Huikari ◽  
Jouko Miettunen ◽  
Marko Korhonen
Keyword(s):  
Financial Crisis ◽  
Stock Market ◽  
Financial Crises ◽  
Negative Binomial ◽  
Global Financial Crisis ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Suicide Mortality ◽  
Suicide Rates ◽  
Market Crashes ◽  
Economic Recessions

BackgroundExisting research on the relationship between economic recessions and suicides has almost completely concentrated on the most recent global financial crisis (2008). We provide the most comprehensive explanation to date of how different types of economic/financial crises since 1970 have affected suicides in developed countries.MethodsNegative binomial regressions were used to estimate what the suicide rates would have been during and 1 year after each crisis began in 21 Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development countries from 1970 to 2011 if the suicide rates had followed the pre-crisis trends.ResultsWe found that every economic/financial crisis since 1970, except the European Exchange Rate Mechanism crisis in 1992, led to excess suicides in developed countries. Among males, the excess suicide rate (per 100 000 persons) varied from 1.1 (95% CI 0.7 to 1.5) to 9.5 (7.6 to 11.2) and, among females, from 0 to 2.4 (1.9 to 2.9). For both sexes, suicides increased mostly due to stock market crashes and banking crises. In terms of actual numbers, the post-1969 economic/financial crises caused >60 000 excess suicides in the 21 developed countries. The Asian financial crisis in 1997 was the most damaging crisis when assessed based on excess suicides.ConclusionsEvidence indicates that, when considered in terms of effects on suicide mortality, the most recent global financial crisis is not particularly severe compared with previous global economic/financial crises. The distinct types of crises (ie, banking, currency and inflation crises, and stock market crashes) have different effects on suicide.

Employment and suicidal rates during economic recession: A country-targeted integrative review

2020 ◽  
pp. 002076402096974
Author(s):  
Apostolos Kamekis ◽  
George Rachiotis ◽  
Adelais Markaki ◽  
Vasiliki Samara ◽  
Emmanouil K. Symvoulakis
Keyword(s):  
Economic Crisis ◽  
Economic Recession ◽  
Mortality Rates ◽  
Integrative Review ◽  
Suicide Mortality ◽  
Greek Language ◽  
Enabling Factors ◽  
Suicide Rates ◽  
Reported Data ◽  
Recession Period

Background: The economic crisis’ effects on suicide rates for countries undergoing or exiting austerity measures have been widely debated. This integrative review aimed to identify, appraise, and synthesize available evidence of employment status effect on suicide mortality rates in Greece during the recent economic recession period. Methods: A literature review of studies evaluating suicides in the general Greek population, as well as across age and gender groups, in relation to employment during the economic crisis period was performed. PubMed electronic database was searched for relevant articles published in English or Greek language from 2009 up to February 2020. Appraisal was carried out based on the Hierarchy of Evidence Rating System and the GRADE guidelines. Results: A total of 24 articles met all inclusion criteria with 20 of them at level IV, 2 at level VII, and 2 at level VIII. A total of 18 studies reported increase of suicide rates during the economic recession period. About 12 studies examined the co-relation between unemployment and suicide rate, with ten studies showing a positive correlation. Moreover, thirteen studies reported data on the effect of gender and age variables on suicide rates. Conclusion: Evidence shows that suicide mortality rates in Greece increased after the eruption of economic recession, particularly after the implementation of radical austerity measures (2011–2014). This increase was positively correlated with unemployment and was more prominent among males of working age. Further in depth epidemiological research of regional variations in terms of profile and contributing or enabling factors of suicidal behavior is needed.

scholarly journals Suicide Mortality in the Americas. Regional Report 2010–2014

2021 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Risk Factor ◽  
North America ◽  
Suicidal Behavior ◽  
Suicide Rate ◽  
Health Problem ◽  
Public Health Problem ◽  
Suicide Mortality ◽  
Suicide Rates ◽  
Hispanic Caribbean

Suicide is a serious public health problem surrounded by stigma, myths, and taboos. With an annual average of 81,746 suicide deaths in the period 2010–2014 and an age-adjusted suicide rate of 9.3 per 100,000 population (age-unadjusted rate of 9.6), suicide continues to be a public health problem of great relevance in the Region of the Americas. Contrary to common belief, suicides are preventable with timely, evidence-based, and often low-cost interventions. It is estimated that for each suicide that occurs, there are more than 20 attempts. Suicide can occur at any age and it is the third highest cause of death among young people between the ages of 20 and 24 in the Region of the Americas. This report corresponds to the five-year period between 2010 and 2014. It provides a general description of suicide mortality in the Americas, by subregions and countries. It analyzes the distribution of suicide according to age, sex, and methods used, along with the changes in suicide from 2010 to 2014. This report is limited to the study of mortality as, in most countries, no record of self-harm exists, due to lack of appropriate surveillance systems. In the period 2010–2014, 55.8% of suicide deaths in the Region occurred in North America. The age-adjusted suicide rate was also highest in North America (12.8 per 100,000 population), which along with the non-Hispanic Caribbean (9.8) was higher than the regional rate, while the other two subregions had rates lower than the regional rate (6.7 in Central America, the Hispanic Caribbean, and Mexico; 6.9 in South America). In Latin America and the Caribbean, it is essential that national suicide prevention programs be developed, especially in those countries with higher suicide rates. This report identifies 12 countries in the Region of the Americas with high suicide rates compared with the regional average and where two-thirds of the suicide deaths are concentrated. Strengthening information systems and surveillance of suicidal behavior is required. Improving mortality registries alone is not enough. It is also necessary to develop registries of suicidal behavior and implement follow-up mechanisms in high-risk cases. This report identifies the most frequent suicide methods. The availability of firearms is an important risk factor, particularly in North America. Access to pesticides in rural areas is another risk factor, especially in the non-Hispanic

scholarly journals Suicidal Behavior in the Mediterranean Countries

2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 93-100
Author(s):  
Mehmet Eskin
Keyword(s):  
Suicidal Behavior ◽  
Mortality Rates ◽  
Suicide Mortality ◽  
World Average ◽  
Suicide Rates ◽  
Muslim Countries ◽  
Mediterranean Countries ◽  
Arab Muslim ◽  
The World ◽  
The Mediterranean

Introduction: Suicidal behavior is a serious public health problem worldwide and shows large intersocietal variation. This study aimed at comparatively investigating the aspects of suicidal behavior in 22 countries surrounding the Mediterranean Sea. Methods: The study was conducted with official data retrieved from several sources. The suicidal mortality data were collected from World Health Organization’s data repository. Descriptive statistics, group comparison, correlational and regression statistical analyses were used to summarize the data. Results: The average age standardized suicide rates in the Mediterranean countries are lower than the world average. Except in Morocco, more men kill themselves than women. Suicide rates are lower in Mediterranean Muslim than in Mediterranean Christian countries. Slovenia, France and Croatia have the highest suicide mortality rates. Greatest percentages of suicidal ideation are seen in Croatia, Turkey and Slovenia and the greatest percentages of suicidal attempts are seen in Palestine, Cyprus, Greece and Slovenia. According to the results of the multiple regression analyses, the coefficient of human inequality index was associated with lower both-sex and male suicide rates. Greater percentages of people saying religion is unimportant in daily life in a country were found to be related to higher female suicide rates. Conclusion: The findings from the study have shown that the prevalence of suicidal deaths, thoughts and attempts vary between the Mediterranean countries. Lower suicide rates are observed in the Muslim Mediterranean nations than in the Judeo-Christian ones. However, the rates of suicide mortality in non-Arab Muslim nations being comparable to the rates in non-Muslim countries confirm the concerns over mis/underreporting of suicidal behavior in Arab Muslim countries due to religio-cultural stigma attached to suicide. The average suicidal mortality rates are lower in Mediterranean countries than the world average. Generally, more men than women kill themselves. Results from the multivariate analysis revealed that as the level of human inequality increases the rates for both-sex and male suicidal mortality decreases. Religion seem to be protective against female suicides. The study has also shown that more research is needed about suicidal behavior in the Mediterranean countries.

scholarly journals 489Trends in method-specific suicide among Japanese adolescents in the past four decades

2021 ◽  
Vol 50 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bibha Dhungel ◽  
Anushka Thapa ◽  
Noelia Lucia Martinez-rives ◽  
Pilar Martin ◽  
Koji Wada ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
Family Environment ◽  
Suicide Rate ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
School Level ◽  
Suicide Mortality ◽  
High School Level ◽  
Suicide Rates ◽  
Japanese Adolescents ◽  
The Government

Abstract Background In 2018 the overall suicide rate increased by 33% among students, as a part of a continued trend of rising suicide among adolescents. In 2015, the government of Japan aimed to reduce the overall suicide rate to 13 per 100,000 or less by 2025, but deaths among adolescents have been rising. This study analysed the trends in method-specific suicide among Japanese adolescents from 1979 to 2016 and compared suicide mortality rate in Japan with other OECD countries. Methods We obtained vital statistics data from the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare as well as the global health observatory of the WHO. Poisson regression analysis was performed separately by sex with year, age category, suicide method and a 1998 step variable as covariates. Results We found that hanging suicide rates among high school level boys are 12.15 times and girls are 6.17 times the rate of elementary school-aged children. The year 1998 saw a peak in suicide rates by hanging, which increased by more than 60% among both boys and girls. Japan is near the median of OECD suicide rates, with crude suicide mortality rates of 7.8 per 100,000 among 15–19-year-olds in 2016. Conclusions Suicide among adolescents has been rising during the last decades. Several factors related to the school and family environment, and mental health problems may have affected the adolescent suicide rate in Japan Key messages An urgent need is evident to address suicide among high school and university-aged adolescents.

scholarly journals Suicide mortality trends in Galicia, Spain and their relationship with economic indicators

2015 ◽  
Vol 25 (5) ◽  
pp. 475-484 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Fernández-Navarro ◽  
M. L. Barrigón ◽  
J. Lopez-Castroman ◽  
M. Sanchez-Alonso ◽  
M. Páramo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Causes Of Death ◽  
Temporal Trend ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Additive Model ◽  
Economic Recession ◽  
Suicide Mortality ◽  
Mortality Trends ◽  
Generalised Additive Model ◽  
Suicide Rates ◽  
Sex And Age Differences

Background.Recent research has shown an association between unemployment and suicide, but the mediating factors in this relationship are still unknown. In this study, we investigated the effect of unemployment and economic recession on suicide rates in the Spanish region of Galicia between 1975 and 2012Method.We analysed age-standardised suicide rates in men and women and in four age groups: less than 25 years, 25–45 years, 45–65 years and more than 65 years and performed a joinpoint analysis to determine trend changes throughout 1975–2012 period. Also we analysed the association between suicide, recession and unemployment by means of a temporal trend model with a Generalised Additive Model.Results.Suicide rates increased from 145 suicides in 1975 to a high in 1993, with 377 deaths by suicide, representing 1.38% of all causes of death, and thereafter they tend to decrease to 335 suicides in 2012. Joinpoint analyses revealed that suicide rates changed differently across sex and age groups. For men, the annual percentage of change (APC) between 1975 and 1988 (CI 95% 1986–1994) was 5.45 (CI 95% = 3.5, −7.2) but from 1988 the APC became negative [−0.66 (CI 95% = −1.3, −0.1)]. For women, APC between 1974 and 1990 (CI 95% 1986–1992) was 4.86 (CI 95% = 3.2, −6.4) and −1.46 subsequently (CI 95% = −2.2, −0.5). Women aged 24 years or less showed stable suicide rates while men from 45–65 years showed two incidence peaks. When we studied the independent correlation between unemployment, recession and suicide, we found a significant association between unemployment and suicide, but not between recession and suicide for both sexes together and for men while for women there was no significant correlation between suicide and unemployment or recession. Finally, when we studied the effect of the interaction between unemployment and recession on suicide we found economic recession and unemployment interacted with regards to suicide rates (F = 5.902; df = 4.167; p = 0.00098) and after adjusting by sex, the effect was confirmed among men (F = 4.827; df = 2.823; p = 0.0087), but not among women (F = 0.001; df = 1.000; p = 0.979).Conclusions.Although suicide rates in Galicia are gradually decreasing in the last decades, there are important sex and age differences. Unemployment was related with suicide during economic recession periods according to our results.

scholarly journals How can we improve air pollution? Try increasing trust first

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-21
Author(s):  
Bridget Lynn Hoffmann ◽  
Carlos Scartascini ◽  
Fernando G. Cafferata
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Survey Data ◽  
Mexico City ◽  
Environmental Policies ◽  
Short Term ◽  
The Government ◽  
Polluting Firms

Abstract Environmental policies are characterized by salient short-term costs and long-term benefits that are difficult to observe and to attribute to the government's efforts. These characteristics imply that citizens’ support for environmental policies is highly dependent on their trust in the government's capability to implement solutions and commitment to investments in those policies. Using novel survey data from Mexico City, we show that trust in the government is positively correlated with citizens’ willingness to support an additional tax approximately equal to a day's minimum wage to improve air quality and greater preference for government retention of revenues from fees collected from polluting firms. We find similar correlations using the perceived quality of public goods as a measure of government competence. These results provide evidence that mistrust can be an obstacle to better environmental outcomes.

scholarly journals Effect of Covid-19 in Jordan: Conceptual Analysis of Different Economic Sectors

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 266
Author(s):  
Saddam Ali Shatnawi ◽  
Bilal Khalaf Sakarneh
Keyword(s):  
Economic Recession ◽  
Economic Effects ◽  
Statistical Prediction ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Economic Sectors ◽  
Industrial Sectors ◽  
The Government ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Short Term Effects

Jordan, similar to other nations around the globe, has been severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic cut across Jordanian service, banking, insurance, and industrial sectors. The spread of the virus and attempts to control it have generated both social and economic turbulence, turmoil, disorder, uncertainty, and uneasiness in the country. The government of Jordan acted promptly in March 2020 by ordering a national lockdown to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on these economic sectors. The COVID-19 has had both direct and indirect negative effects on these sectors, which are projected to vary from the short to the long term. It is possible to measure the short-term effects as seen in this conceptual work. Some of the short-term effects anticipated include economic recession, high unemployment rate, high inflation, etc. In conclusion, these sectors will continue to encounter challenges because of the ongoing economic slowdown in Jordan due to lockdown and other social measures put in place by the government. Currently, there is yet to be a tentative and complete statistical prediction of the negative economic effects and cost of COVID-19 in Jordan, particularly on its sectors of the economy.

scholarly journals Short-term associations between ambient air pollution and stroke hospitalisations: time-series study in Shenzhen, China

BMJ Open ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. e032974 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yanfang Guo ◽  
Xiufang Xie ◽  
Lin Lei ◽  
Haibin Zhou ◽  
Shizhou Deng ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Time Series ◽  
Linear Models ◽  
Ambient Air ◽  
Ambient Air Pollution ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Short Term Exposure ◽  
Subgroup Analyses ◽  
The Government ◽  
Older Populations

ObjectiveTo investigate the association between ambient air pollution and stroke morbidity in different subgroups and seasons.MethodsWe performed a time-series analysis based on generalised linear models to study the short-term exposure–response relationships between air pollution and stroke hospitalisations, and conducted subgroup analyses to identify possible sensitive populations.ResultsFor every 10 µg/m3increase in the concentration of air pollutants, across lag 0–3 days, the relative risk of stroke hospitalisation was 1.029 (95% CI 1.013 to 1.045) for PM2.5, 1.054 (95% CI 1.031 to 1.077) for NO2and 1.012 (95% CI 1.002 to 1.022) for O3. Subgroup analyses showed that statistically significant associations were found in both men and women, middle-aged and older populations, and both cerebral infarction and intracerebral haemorrhage. The seasonal analyses showed that statistically significant associations were found only in the winter.ConclusionsOur study indicates that short-term exposure to PM2.5, NO2and O3may induce stroke morbidity, and the government should take actions to mitigate air pollution and protect sensitive populations.

scholarly journals How Can We Improve Air Pollution?: Try Increasing Trust First

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fernando G. Cafferata ◽  
Bridget Lynn Hoffmann ◽  
Carlos Scartascini
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Survey Data ◽  
Mexico City ◽  
Environmental Policies ◽  
Short Term ◽  
The Government ◽  
Polluting Firms

Environmental policies are characterized by salient short-term costs and long-term benefits that are difficult to observe and to attribute to the government's efforts. These characteristics imply that citizens' support for environmental policies is highly dependent on their trust in the government's capability to implement solutions and commitment to investments in those policies. Using novel survey data from Mexico City, we show that trust in the government is positively correlated with citizens' willingness to support an additional tax approximately equal to a days minimum wage to improve air quality and greater preference for government retention of revenues from fees collected from polluting firms. We find similar correlations using the perceived quality of public goods as a measure of government competence. These results provide evidence that mistrust can be an obstacle to better environmental outcomes.

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