New Findings On Gender: The Effects Of Employment Status On Suicide.

Abstract

Background and objectivesThe purpose of the study was to evaluate the impact of gender and employment on suicide with the use of expanded unemployment statuses as covariates.MethodsData were obtained from release 5 of the National Longitudinal Mortality Study, a prospective study of deaths in the United States. Proportional hazards regression models were fitted to the data based on follow-up from 1990 to 2011.ResultsUnemployment was significantly associated with suicide (ARR=1.628, 95% CI=1.356, 1.954), and men had suicide deaths that were five times greater than women (ARR=5.104, 95% CI=4.565, 5.707), however when the sample was stratified by sex, the impact of unemployment on suicide was much higher among women (ARR=2.988, 95% CI=2.045, 4.366) than among men (ARR=1.393, 95% CI=1.131, 1.717).ConclusionContrary to many findings and gender assumptions, unemployed women in the U.S. have higher deaths from suicide than unemployed men. Discussion focused on explanations for gender disparities in unemployment.