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Socio-Economic Position and Suicidal Ideation in Men

Author

Listed:
  • Jane Pirkis

    (Centre for Mental Health, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne 3010, Australia)

  • Dianne Currier

    (Centre for Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne 3010, Australia)

  • Peter Butterworth

    (Centre for Mental Health, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne 3010, Australia)

  • Allison Milner

    (Centre for Mental Health, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne 3010, Australia)

  • Anne Kavanagh

    (Centre for Mental Health, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne 3010, Australia)

  • Holly Tibble

    (Centre for Mental Health, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne 3010, Australia)

  • Jo Robinson

    (Centre for Health Equity, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne 3010, Australia)

  • Matthew J. Spittal

    (Centre for Mental Health, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne 3010, Australia)

Abstract

People in low socio-economic positions are over-represented in suicide statistics and are at heightened risk for non-fatal suicidal thoughts and behaviours. Few studies have tried to tease out the relationship between individual-level and area-level socio-economic position, however. We used data from Ten to Men (the Australian Longitudinal Study on Male Health) to investigate the relationship between individual-level and area-level socio-economic position and suicidal thinking in 12,090 men. We used a measure of unemployment/employment and occupational skill level as our individual-level indicator of socio-economic position. We used the Index of Relative Socio-Economic Disadvantage (a composite multidimensional construct created by the Australian Bureau of Statistics that combines information from a range of area-level variables, including the prevalence of unemployment and employment in low skilled occupations) as our area-level indicator. We assessed suicidal thinking using the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9). We found that even after controlling for common predictors of suicidal thinking; low individual-level and area-level socio-economic position heightened risk. Individual-level socio-economic position appeared to exert the greater influence of the two; however. There is an onus on policy makers and planners from within and outside the mental health sector to take individual- and area-level socio-economic position into account when they are developing strategic initiatives.

Suggested Citation

  • Jane Pirkis & Dianne Currier & Peter Butterworth & Allison Milner & Anne Kavanagh & Holly Tibble & Jo Robinson & Matthew J. Spittal, 2017. "Socio-Economic Position and Suicidal Ideation in Men," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 14(4), pages 1-11, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:14:y:2017:i:4:p:365-:d:94682
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Allison Milner & Andrew Page & Anthony D LaMontagne, 2013. "Long-Term Unemployment and Suicide: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 8(1), pages 1-6, January.
    2. Agerbo, Esben & Sterne, Jonathan A.C. & Gunnell, David J., 2007. "Combining individual and ecological data to determine compositional and contextual socio-economic risk factors for suicide," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 64(2), pages 451-461, January.
    3. Popay, Jennie & Thomas, Carol & Williams, Gareth & Bennett, Sharon & Gatrell, Anthony & Bostock, Lisa, 2003. "A proper place to live: health inequalities, agency and the normative dimensions of space," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 57(1), pages 55-69, July.
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    2. Peter Congdon, 2019. "Geographical Patterns in Drug-Related Mortality and Suicide: Investigating Commonalities in English Small Areas," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(10), pages 1-17, May.

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