“Death by Economic Crisis”: Suicide and Self-Infl icted Injury in the European Union (EU15) during the Worst of Times

Ernesto R. Ferreira (), João D. Monteiro () and Jose Ramos Manso
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Ernesto R. Ferreira: Department of Management and Economics, Faculty of Human and Social Sciences, University of Beira Interior, Covilhã, Portugal
João D. Monteiro: Department of Management and Economics, Faculty of Human and Social Sciences, University of Beira Interior, Covilhã, Portugal

Society and Economy, 2019, vol. 41, issue 1, 145-164

Abstract: Can socioeconomic fl uctuations explain variations in European Union suicide mortality? To answer this question, we investigate the effect of socioeconomic and demographic factors on (agespecific) male and female suicide rates using a fixed-effects technique and panel data for 15 EU countries, over a time period that leads up to, coincides with, and follows the recession of 2008. The findings show that suicide rates for young and working-age populations are more sensitive to general economic conditions than suicide rates for other age groups, and that male suicide behavior is more responsive than female behavior. In this setting, suicide rates are likely to be higher in countries with lower income, higher unemployment, higher divorce rates, and, most importantly, weaker systems of social protection. Our results, however, raise serious doubts about government involvement in crisis-related mental illness prevention and mental health promotion.

Keywords: European sovereign debt crisis; socio-economic policy; suicide mortality (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I12 I18 I38 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
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