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Purpose: To analyze the association between unemployment and suicide in Italy during the years 1990-2014, with a peculiar focus on the great recession (GR) and the role played by social protection as buffering mechanism against the negative effect on health outcomes.Methods: Fixed effects panel regressions were used to assess the association between changes in unemployment rate and suicide rates. Additional models investigated the role of active labor market programs (ALMPs) as possible moderators of the association. Analyses were carried out for both males and females, stratified by age and region.Results: The negative time-trend displayed by suicide rate in Italy until 2007 was slowed down by changes in unemployment at the beginning of the GR, when this trend reversed and the rate of suicide started increasing. Male workers aged 25-64 and women aged 55-64 years were affected by both "normal" unemployment rate fluctuations as well as severe economic crises. Women aged 35-44 were only influenced by the latter. Men benefit from ALMPs mainly in Central Italy, while women did not benefit significantly from ALMPs.Conclusions: In Italy, economic downturns were associated with increased suicides mainly among men, while severe economic crises were associated with increased suicides among both men and women. ALMPs showed to be effective in moderating the association between unemployment and suicide among men aged 45-54 only in Central Italy. The overall small effectiveness of such programs may be due to lack of sufficient funding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There has been no research on whether particularly vulnerable people such as the unemployed are prone to being in a suicide cluster (defined as an unusually high number of suicides occurring in a defined geographical area and/or over a relatively brief period of time). We investigated the presence of unemployed suicide clusters in Australia over the period 2001-2013 using a Poisson discrete scan statistic approach. Spatial, temporal and spatial/temporal clusters comprised 13.4, 4.4 and 1.7% of all unemployed suicides respectively. These results suggest the importance of targeting preventative efforts in where large numbers of unemployed persons who have died by suicide resided before death. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Suicide attempt in young age is associated with subsequent labour market marginalisation, but little is known about how marginalisation is affected by changes in suicide attempt rates and social insurance legislation and by age differences. Methods: Prospective cohort study based on register linkage of >2.4 million Swedish residents per birth cohort, aged 19-40years in 1999; 2004 and 2009, respectively, and followed up for 4years. Suicide attempters treated in inpatient care in the three years preceding study entry (n >7000 per cohort) were compared with the general population of the same age without attempt (1987 to end of follow-up). Hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals for long-term unemployment (>180 days), sickness absence (>90 days) and disability pension were calculated with Cox regression, adjusted for several risk markers. Additional analyses were stratified by age (below/above 30years). Results: Across all cohorts, suicide attempt was associated with subsequent labour market marginalisation. Estimates were generally highest for disability pension [e.g. 2009 cohort: adjusted (a) HR = 2.7], followed by sickness absence (2009 cohort: aHR = 2.3) and unemployment (2009 cohort: aHR = 1.5). aHRs were higher in the 2004 and 2009 cohorts compared with the 1999 cohort. For disability pension, for example, aHRs were 2.39, 3.90 and 2.68 for the 1999, 2004 and 2009 cohorts, respectively. Stratification revealed marginal age differences. Conclusion: It seems to have become more difficult for suicide attempters to establish themselves on the labour market in later cohorts, which might result from changes in social insurance regulations. There were no considerable age differences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: There have been substantial changes in workforce and employment patterns in Australia over the past 50 years as a result of economic globalisation. This has resulted in substantial reduction in employment in the manufacturing industry often with large-scale job losses in concentrated sectors and communities. Large-scale job loss events receive significant community attention. To what extent these mass unemployment events contribute to increased psychological distress, mental illness and suicide in affected individuals warrants further consideration. Methods: Here we undertake a narrative review of published job loss literature. We discuss the impact that large-scale job loss events in the manufacturing sector may have on population mental health, with particular reference to contemporary trends in the Australian economy. We also provide a commentary on the expected outcomes of future job loss events in this context and the implications for Australian public mental health care services. Results and conclusion: Job loss due to plant closure results in a doubling of psychological distress that peaks 9 months following the unemployment event. The link between job loss and increased rates of mental illness and suicide is less clear. The threat of impending job loss and the social context in which job loss occurs has a significant bearing on psychological outcomes. The implications for Australian public mental health services are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Framed within the recent economic crisis, in this study we investigate the medical mental health care use of the unemployed compared with that of the employed in Europe, and whether the relationship between employment status and mental health care use varies across macro-economic conditions. We examine whether the macro-economic context and changes therein are related to mental health care use, via their impact on mental health, or more directly, irrespective of mental health. Methods: We use data from three waves of the Eurobarometer (2002, 2005/2006, and 2010), which has a repeated cross-sectional and cross-national design. Linear and logistic multilevel regression analyses are performed with mental health, contacting a general practitioner, and contacting a psychiatrist for mental health problems as dependent variables. The multilevel design has three levels (the individual, the period-country, and the country), which allows us to estimate both longitudinal and cross-sectional macro-effects. The macro-economic context and changes therein are assessed using national unemployment rates and growth rates in Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Results: The mean unemployment rate is negatively related to mental health, although for women, this effect only applies to the employed. Among women, no relationship is found between changes in the macro-economic context and mental health. The unemployment rate, and changes in both the unemployment rate and the real GDP growth rate, are associated with men's care use, regardless of their mental health, whereas this does not hold for women. In countries with an increase in the unemployment rate, both unemployed and employed men tend to medicalize their problems more by contacting a general practitioner, irrespective of their mental health, while the likelihood of contacting a psychiatrist is lower among employed men. Conclusions: Our findings stress the importance of taking the macro-economic context and changes therein into account when studying the mental health care use of unemployed people compared with the employed, in particular among men. Moreover, it is important to make the distinction between primary and specialized medical care use, as the impact of macro-economic conditions is dependent on the type of care, which also applies when controlling for mental health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reviews Nordic research, published from 1995 and onwards, on the relationship between unemployment and mental health among young adults. Cross-sectional, longitudinal and time-series studies are included. Cross-sectional studies show that the unemployed experience more mental health problems than the non-unemployed. Leaving unemployment is associated with increased well-being. Economic problems, feelings of shame and poor social support increase the likelihood of psychological distress. The longitudinal studies show that unemployment increases the risk of psychological distress and attempted suicide, after initial mental health status and confounding factors are accounted for. The relationship remains significant when time-invariant characteristics of the individuals are controlled for. The time-series studies found no relationship between unemployment and suicide, but levels of psychological distress were found to vary with changes in the labour market. This relationship remained significant after excluding the non-employed, indicating that unemployment trends have effects beyond those directly associated with unemployment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] Labor market conditions matters the most for the mental wellbeing of prime working-age men and women (35–64). [•] Higher unemployment rates for prime working-age men and women are positively correlated with their higher suicide rates. [•] Larger deviations of unemployment rates from their trends are positively correlated with higher suicide rates of 35–64. [•] Larger volatility in overall unemployment rates is positively correlated with higher suicide rates of 35–64. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background The relationship between unemployment and suicide may be sensitive to demographic factors, national unemployment rates, and length of time without employment. This study investigated these factors in relation to suicide in Australia for the period 1985-2006, in an ecological study. Methods The outcome variable was annual suicide rate by age group, sex and the eight states and territories over 22 years of observation (total observations=1760). The main predictor variable was the average duration of unemployment in the population, categorised into three time periods (<2 weeks, 2-4 weeks, >4 weeks). Poisson regression models were used to investigate the relationship between duration of unemployment and suicide over the years 1985-2006 in a series of crosssectional analyses. Interaction analyses indicated significant differences during periods of declining or increasing labour market opportunity and by age group. Results During periods of declining unemployment rates in the country, longer durations of unemployment were associated with higher male suicide rates. During periods of increasing unemployment in the country, longer unemployment duration was associated with lower male suicide rates. Effect modification was also apparent by age-group, with stronger associations between unemployment duration and male suicide evident in those aged 25-34 and 55-64, and weaker associations in those aged 15-24 and 44-54 years. Longer length of unemployment was not associated with an increase in female suicide rates. Conclusions The labour market opportunities in Australia modified the effect of duration of unemployment on suicide, and the effect was more prominent in men and older age groups. This may reflect social norms and acceptability about unemployment, as well as life-stage influences associated with transitions into and out of the labour market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relationship between diversity and unemployment has long been an important issue for regional scientists. This article applies quarterly data for four regions in Taiwan during the 1981-2004 period and the empirical results indicate that regional diversity can reduce the national unemployment rate, and this is solid support for the hypothesis of inter-regional migration. To further evaluate this, the interactions among regional unemployment rates are tested using the seemingly unrelated regression estimation approach, where the negative correlations of the regional residuals show that inter-regional migration is indeed an important common factor among regions. An isolated regional labour market with the highest unemployment rate in Taiwan re-confirms that inter-regional migration plays a critical role in lowering national unemployment. In sum, regional diversity can induce migration, which then reduces national unemployment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the relationship between suicide rates among men since 1975 and rates of unemployment and labour force participation in 20 countries. Previous research, has found statistically significant correlations between suicide and unemployment rates over time among young people in a number of countries. This study has extended this research to include different age groups of men. The findings for younger workers largely confirm the findings of previous studies. Among older workers, however, unemployment and suicide rates are largely unrelated, notable exceptions including Japan and the USA. The implications of this finding for policy making towards older workers are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the development of occupational studies of suicide one area of concern which generally has been neglected is female labor force participation. Using regression analysis on ecological data, this paper suggests some theoretical viewpoints with respect to female labor force participation and suicide. The results of the analysis on community level data in two metropolitan areas show that percentage nonwhite, percentage women in the labor force, male unemployment, and income were significantly related to suicide. The theoretical discussion is based on role and status integration and related problems for both women and men when there is increased involvement of women in the labor force. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses research on the link between unemployment and suicide. It references the study "The public health effect of economic crises and alternative policy responses in Europe: an empirical analysis," by David Stuckler and colleagues, published within the issue. The study discovered that unemployment rate is associated with increased suicide rates in 26 European Union countries, specially in countries with low spending on active labor market programs. An overview of other studies on how unemployment influence suicidal behavior and its prevalence is offered. The authors concluded that unemployment is a probable mediator between mental illness and suicide.