The Association of Occupation with Mental Illnesses and Death by Suicide

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

• Psychological Distress Is More Common in Some Occupations and Increases With Job Tenure: A Thirty-Seven Year Panel Study in the United States
  Journal Article
  Rural and Underserved Health Research Center
  Date: 03/2023
  This study used 1981–2017 data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics and the Screening Scale for Psychological Distress (Kessler K6) to identify occupations with low and high risks of mental health problems in the United States.
• 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.
• Suicide Rates and Risks Across U.S. Industries: A 29-Year Population-Based Survey
  Journal Article
  Rural and Underserved Health Research Center
  Date: 01/2024
  Combining 29 years of U.S. suicide data using the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS)-Mortality Linked data from 1986 through 2014, with mortality follow-up through 2015, this study estimates suicide risks across industries in the U.S. working population.