Suicide rates by industry and occupation: National Vital Statistics System, United States, 2021

The suicide rate among the U.S. working-age population has increased approximately 33% during the last 2 decades. To guide suicide prevention strategies, CDC analyzed suicide deaths by industry and occupation in 49 states,  using data from the 2021 National Vital Statistics System. Industry (the business activity of a person’s employer or, if self-employed, their own […]

Occupational class differences in male suicide risk in Finland from 1970 to 2019

Background In the last few decades, suicide rates have decreased in most European countries. However, periodic changes in risk by occupational class have not been studied as much in detail. Methods Representative cohorts of Finnish working-age men were followed for nine years on suicide mortality starting from five different census years (1970, 1980, 1990, 2000, […]

Identifying occupation groups for suicide prevention: A statewide data linkage study

Objective: To identify suicide rates by occupation category in Utah and describe the hospital history and circumstances of suicide decedents in the occupation category that had the state’s highest rate and highest number of suicides: Construction and Extraction. Method: We used data on suicide decedents from the National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS) for 2005-2015 (n = 4,590) […]

Identification of socio-demographic, occupational, and societal factors for guiding suicide prevention: A cohort study of Swiss male workers (2000–2014)

Introduction We modeled suicidal rate among Swiss working-age males, considering three groups of factors at socio-demographic, occupational, and societal levels jointly. Our goal was twofold: to verify the effect of occupation after adjustment for non-occupational factors and to identify protective and risk factors relevant for suicide prevention in working male adults. Methods The study population […]

Association of job expectations among high school students with early death during adulthood

Objective  To estimate the risks of suicide and drug poisoning deaths among adult men whose adolescent occupational expectations were not met in adulthood. Design, Setting, and Participants  This cohort study included a sample of men interviewed as part of the High School and Beyond study, a nationally representative study of US high school sophomores and seniors in […]

Suicide clusters among top 10 high-risk occupations: A study from 2001 to 2016 in Australia

A number of studies have demonstrated elevated risk of suicide in certain occupational groups. We seek to understand a possible new risk factor: suicide contagion, as demonstrated through a suicide cluster analysis. National-level coronial data and census population data were used for the study. We calculated suicide rates to identify “risky” occupations. SaTScan v9.4.1 was […]

Occupational suicide exposure and impact on mental health: Examining differences across helping professions

The purpose of the current study was to examine the relationship of suicide exposure with depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder across three occupational groups likely to be exposed to suicide (i.e., first responders, crisis workers, mental health professionals). An online survey was completed by 1,048 participants. Results indicated that first responders, mental health professionals, […]

Male-dominated occupations, employment status, and suicidal behaviors among Australian men: A follow-up study using two waves of data from the Ten to Men cohort

Background: Suicide rates are higher among unemployed men as well as those employed in male-dominated occupations such as construction. There has been less research on whether these patterns are similar for suicide ideation and attempt. Aims: In a cohort of 13,892 Australian males, this study examined the relationship between employment status and occupational gender ratio on reported thoughts […]

National census of fatal occupational injuries in 2018

There were 5,250 fatal work injuries recorded in the United States in 2018, a 2 percent increase from the 5,147 in 2017, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (See chart 1 and table 1.) The fatal work injury rate remained unchanged at 3.5 per 100,000 full-time equivalent (FTE) workers. (See chart 2.) These […]

Suicide rates by industry and occupation: National Violent Death Reporting System, 32 States, 2016

What is already known about this topic? Suicide among the U.S. working-age population (ages 16–64 years) is increasing; in 2017, nearly 38,000 persons died by suicide. What is added by this report? National Violent Death Reporting System data from 32 states were used to calculate suicide rates for major industry and occupational groups and detailed […]

Occupational class differences in suicide: Evidence of changes over time and during the global financial crisis in Australia

BACKGROUND: Previous research showed an increase in Australian suicide rates during the Global Financial Crisis (GFC). There has been no research investigating whether suicide rates by occupational class changed during the GFC. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the GFC-associated increase in suicide rates in employed Australians may have masked changes by […]

Suicide rates by major occupational group — 17 states, 2012 and 2015

During 2000–2016, the suicide rate among the U.S. working age population (persons aged 16–64 years) increased 34%, from 12.9 per 100,000 population to 17.3 (https://www.cdc.gov/injury/wisqars). To better understand suicide among different occupational groups and inform suicide prevention efforts, CDC analyzed suicide deaths by Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) major groups for decedents aged 16–64 years from […]

A reanalysis of occupation and suicide: Negative perceptions of the workplace linked to suicide attempts.

Suicide is the ultimate outcome of poor psychological well-being; however, there is a paucity of research examining the link between occupation and suicide, despite early academic interest and the known importance of work to our everyday lives. We propose that this body of research was abandoned prematurely, and we provide a reanalysis by integrating the […]

Rising suicide among adults aged 40-64 years: The role of job and financial circumstances.

Introduction Suicide rates among middle-aged men and women in the U.S. have been increasing since 1999, with a sharp escalation since 2007. Purpose To examine whether suicides with circumstances related to economic crises increased disproportionately among the middle-aged between 2005 and 2010. Methods This study used the National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS) in 2014 […]

Suicide by occupation, England: 2011 to 2015.

This release presents figures on suicides by occupation for deaths registered in England between 2011 and 2015. Comparisons are made between sex-specific occupational suicide rates and rates observed in the broader population of England.

Predictors for suicidal ideation after occupational injury.

Risk of suicide has been associated with trauma and negative life events in several studies. Our aim was to investigate the prevalence and risk factors of suicidal ideation, and the population attributable risk among workers after occupational injuries. We investigated workers who had been hospitalized for ≧ 3 days after occupational injuries between February 1 and August […]

High-risk occupations for suicide.

High occupational suicide rates are often linked to easy occupational access to a method of suicide. This study aimed to compare suicide rates across all occupations in Britain, how they have changed over the past 30 years, and how they may vary by occupational socio-economic group. We used national occupational mortality statistics, census-based occupational populations […]

Trends and characteristics of occupational suicide and homicide in farmers and agriculture workers, 1992-2010.

The purpose of this paper was to review the occupational homicide and suicide statistics for farmers and agriculture workers and to identify victim characteristics and incident circumstances. The study found homicide rates for farmers and agriculture workers were lower than rates for total occupations for 14 years, while suicide rates for farmers and agriculture workers […]

The contribution of individual, social and work characteristics to employee mental health in a coal mining industry population.

Background Evidence regarding the extent of mental health problems and the associated characteristics within an employee population is necessary to inform appropriate and tailored workplace mental health programs. Mental health within male dominated industries (such as mining) has received recent public attention, chiefly through observations regarding suicide in such populations in Australia and internationally. Currently […]

Suicide rates by occupational group: 17 states, 2012.

In 2012, suicide was the 10th leading cause of death among persons aged ≥16 years in the United States, with approximately 40,000 suicide deaths reported among persons aged ≥16 years. From 2000 to 2012, rates of suicide for persons aged ≥16 years increased 21.1%, from 13.3 per 100,000 to 16.1. Understanding suicides by occupational group […]

Suicide in Northern Ireland: An analysis of gender differences in demographic, psychological, and contextual factors.

Copy held in CSP Library.

Does gender explain the relationship between occupation and suicide? Findings from a meta-analytic study.

This report investigated whether suicide risk by occupational groups differed for males and females. We examined this using a sub-set of articles examined in a recent meta-analysis and stratified by gender. For certain occupational groups, males and females had a similar risk of suicide (the military, community service occupations, managers, and clerical workers). There was […]

Suicide by occupation: Does access to means increase the risk?

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