Financial Stress, Unemployment, and Suicide

Financial Stress, Unemployment, and Suicide – A Meta-Analysis

Financial Stress, Unemployment, and Suicide – A Meta-Analysis 2023 study by David J. Roelfs and Eran Shor synthesizes four decades of global literature across 20 countries to quantify individual suicide risks associated with economic hardship and job loss.

Said simply: Financial Stress, Unemployment, and Suicide – A Meta-Analysis 2023 study used 40 years of global data.

This study shows how economic hardships affect suicide risk:

Job loss raises suicidal risk.

Money stress raises suicidal risk.

Core Findings

Elevated Risks:

In the general population, experiencing financial stress increases suicide risk by 74.2% (RR: 1.742). Being unemployed increases it by 87.4% (RR: 1.874).

In the general population, financial stress increases suicide risk by 74.2%, and unemployment increases it by 87.4% (pp. 1, 5).

Historical Trends:

The individual risk of suicide following unemployment shows a significant upward trend, meaning it has become more pronounced in recent years than in past decades.

So, the risk of suicide after losing a job has increased over time, meaning it is higher in recent years than in past decades.

This means: suicide risk from job loss has risen over time.

Scope and Methodology

Data Sources: David J. Roelfs and Eran Shor s analyzed 64 publications, utilizing 32 risk estimates for financial stress and 85 for unemployment. So, David J. Roelfs and Eran Shor analyzed 64 studies, using 32 estimates for financial stress and 85 for unemployment (pp. 3-4, 6).

Please note this article was written in 2023, it is likely these statistics have worsened expansively since.

This article has been summarized with the aid of Gemini.

Some important parts have been omitted for clarity of delivery of critical information, to ensure accessibility of findings.

Lee Park, RCT 25-002, MACP, BPsych Hons
Owner, Canada Online Therapy
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