Can Government Responses to Unemployment Reduce the Impact of Unemployment on Suicide?: A Systematic Review
Background: Unemployment is a well-documented risk factor for suicide. Findings from a number of studies suggest that government policy plays a crucial role in mediating the unemployment-suicide relationship. Aims: Our review was designed to assess whether government policies aimed at managing unemp...
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Veröffentlicht in: | Crisis : the journal of crisis intervention and suicide prevention 2022, Vol.43 (1), p.59-66 |
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Format: | Artikel |
Sprache: | eng |
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Zusammenfassung: | Background: Unemployment is a
well-documented risk factor for suicide. Findings from a
number of studies suggest that government policy plays a
crucial role in mediating the unemployment-suicide
relationship. Aims: Our review was designed
to assess whether government policies aimed at managing
unemployment can moderate the impact of unemployment on
suicide and self-harm. Method: A systematic
search of the Medline, ProQuest, Scopus, and Web of Science
databases was conducted. All original, English-language,
peer-reviewed studies examining the impact of unemployment
policy on rates of suicide or self-harm were eligible for
inclusion. Results: Six unique studies were
identified, each using an ecological design and suicide
deaths as the outcome. Three of five studies looking at
unemployment benefits found a negative association with
suicide rates. Studies examining the impact of active
unemployment policy and employment protection legislation
found evidence of beneficial effects. The effects of the
policies were small and had particular benefit in reducing
suicide rates among men. Limitations: The
ecological designs used may limit conclusions around
causality. It is unclear whether the findings generalize to
those in lower- and middle-income countries.
Conclusion: The findings suggest that
unemployment policies can mitigate the relationship between
unemployment and suicide, particularly among men. |
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ISSN: | 0227-5910 2151-2396 |
DOI: | 10.1027/0227-5910/a000750 |