Globally, suicide accounts for 1.4% of all deaths, making it the 18th leading cause of mortality worldwide. However, in the U.S. suicide accounts for 1.8% of all deaths and is the 10th largest cause of mortality. Previous research has linked depression, psychological distress, and lower levels of well-being with substantially higher risk of suicide. However, recent data suggest more than half of suicide victims did not have any prior mental health diagnosis, indicating that factors other than mental illness should be explored. Higher risks for suicide have been associated with select occupations. This project evaluated the association of occupational risk factors with mental illnesses, all-cause mortality, and suicide using the National Health Interview Survey and the Panel Study of Income Dynamics datasets.

Publications

• Suicide Mortality Rates in Farm-Related Occupations and the Agriculture Industry in the United States
  Journal Article
  Rural and Underserved Health Research Center
  Date: 09/2021
  This article examines suicide mortality among agricultural workers comparing rural and urban residents using pooled data from the Mortality‐Linked National Health Interview Survey, 1986–2014.