Suicide Among Miners in Queensland, Australia

Samara Mcphedran,Diego De Leo

doi:10.1177/2158244013511262

Samara Mcphedran, Diego De Leo

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244013511262

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Abstract

A body of international and Australian research demonstrates connections between certain types of occupations and elevated suicide rates, relative to suicide rates observed in other occupations or within the general population. In Australia, it has been suggested that miners face a heightened risk of suicide relative to the population overall, but there is very little empirical data available to support this proposal. The current study provides unique data about male miners who died by suicide. Miners were compared against men in other occupations. Demographics, psychiatric history, and life events were examined. Miners were significantly more likely than men in other occupations to have experienced relationship problems prior to their death. Relationship problems may be an important predictor of suicide among miners. This could in turn provide helpful information for identifying miners who are at risk of suicide, as well as point the way to possible industry-specific intervention strategies in Australia and elsewhere.

Highlights

A body of international and Australian research demonstrates connections between certain types of occupations and elevated suicide rates, relative to suicide rates observed in other occupations or within the general population
The suggestive evidence given above highlights the need to evaluate possible relationships between employment in the mining industry and the occurrence of particular risk factors among workers who died by suicide
Suicide data were extracted from the Queensland Suicide Register (QSR), a comprehensive database designed by the Australian Institute for Suicide Research and Prevention (AISRAP) that details Queensland (QLD) suicide cases from 1990 to the present

Summary

Introduction

A body of international and Australian research demonstrates connections between certain types of occupations and elevated suicide rates, relative to suicide rates observed in other occupations or within the general population. Oldfield and Mostert (2007) found relationships between job demands, ill health, and work–home interference among South African miners, while Jacobs, Mostert, and Pienaar (2008) showed that among a sample of Afrikaans and Setswana mining workers, the consequences of work pressure, heavy workload, stress, and family obligations included a lack of quality time for the self and family, physical and emotional strains, and low levels of productivity. These South African observations may not be generalizable to other countries

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