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WEDNESDAY, Sept. 9, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Financial strain is associated with an increased risk for suicide attempts and should be considered when assessing mental health, according to a study recently published in the American Journal of Epidemiology<\/i>.<\/p>\n
Eric Elbogen, Ph.D., from the Duke University School of Medicine in Durham, North Carolina, and colleagues used data from 34,653 individuals participating in wave 1 (2001 to 2002) and wave 2 (2004 to 2005) of the U.S. National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions to assess the relationship between financial strain and suicide attempts.<\/p>\n
The researchers found that cumulative financial strain was predictive of suicide attempts between waves 1 and 2 (odds ratio [OR], 1.53) when controlling for demographic and clinical factors. Subsequent suicide attempts were associated with wave 1 financial debt\/crisis (OR, 1.58), unemployment (OR, 1.52), past homelessness (OR, 1.50), and lower income (OR, 1.51). There was a 20 times higher predicted probability of attempting suicide among respondents endorsing the previous four financial-strain variables versus respondents endorsing none of them. Similar results were seen for suicidal ideation.<\/p>\n
“Our study, while assessing this connection using pre-COVID data, shows a direct risk that should raise alarm as millions of people experience economic hardship resulting from the pandemic,” Elbogen said in a statement.<\/p>\n