Suicide Trends over Time by Occupation in Korea and Their Relationship to Economic Downturns

Jin-Ha Yoon, Sun Jae Jung, Jaesung Choi and Mo-Yeol Kang
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Jin-Ha Yoon: Department of Preventive Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul 03722, Korea
Sun Jae Jung: Department of Preventive Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul 03722, Korea
Jaesung Choi: Department of Global Economics, Sungkyunkwan University, Seoul 03063, Korea
Mo-Yeol Kang: Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul 06591, Korea

IJERPH, 2019, vol. 16, issue 11, 1-10

Abstract: We analyzed suicide mortality by occupation using administrative data from 1993 to 2016. Methods: National death records from 1993 to 2016 of the Korea National Statistical Office (KNSO) were used. Suicidal death was taken from Korean Classification of Disease codes as intentional self-harm (X60–X84) and sequelae of intentional self-harm (Y870). Occupational groups were categorized into “Manager,” “Officer,” ”Service-Trade,” “Agricultural-Fishery-Forestry” (AFF), “Skilled Manual,” and “Unskilled Manual.” Direct standardized mortality (DSM) and standardized mortality ratio (SMR) with 95% confidence interval (95% CI) were calculated. Overall, suicide rates increased during economic downturns, especially among lower socio-economic occupation classes. Both DSM and SMR were highest in AFF, followed by Unskilled Manual, Service-Trade, Officer, Skilled Manual, and Manager categories among men, whereas women showed the highest DSM and SMR in AFF, followed by Service-Trade, Officer, Unskilled Manual, Manager, and Skilled Manual categories. The age-stratified analysis showed that age groups with increasing trends in suicide differed according to occupation and gender. In certain occupational groups, the time-point prevalence fluctuated with socio-economic background in suicidal mortality and differed by age and gender.

Keywords: suicide; occupations; economics (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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