Suchergebnisse

Abstract. Background: Not much is known about whether paying unpaid debt is related to a reduced risk of suicidal behavior. Aims: To examine whether nonfatal suicide attempt varied by status of nonpayment of debt as registered at the Swedish Enforcement Authority (SEA). Method: People aged between 20 and 64 years with a registration date for an unpaid debt at the SEA during 2016 ( n = 57,039) and registered as either active or inactive for a debt and/or a decision of debt reconstruction in the register in 2018 were followed up for a 2-year period for suicide attempt and compared with a sample from the general Swedish population ( n = 301,714). Results: Those who were still active for a debt and/or a decision of debt reconstruction were about twice ( Odds Ratio = 2.21) as likely to attempt suicide than those who no longer had an active debt in the SEA register. Limitations: The study was limited to suicide attempts that were registered as such in the National Patient Register. Conclusion: The results, based on unique nationwide register data, reinforce the importance of making tackling debt and financial distress part of current suicide prevention strategies. Professionals and others who interact with indebted people may be important gatekeepers in preventing suicide attempts.

Background: Economic hardship is an established suicidogenic factor. However, very little is known about whether financial difficulties in terms of debt problems, specifically, is related to suicide. This would seem to be an important research gap, not least at a time when the repercussions of the global financial crisis are still being felt by many people. Aims: This study sets out to examine whether experiencing financial indebtedness is related to suicide. Methods: For this purpose, people aged between 18 and 64 with a registration date for a debt in the Swedish Enforcement Authority register between 2015 and 2017 ( n = 180,842) are followed up for a 1-year period for death by suicide and compared with a sample from the general Swedish population ( n = 928,265). The analysis is based on penalized maximum likelihood logistic regressions. Results: Those who had experienced financial indebtedness were two and a half times more likely to commit suicide than those who had not lived through this experience (OR = 2.50), controlling for several demographic, socio-economic, and mental health conditions prior to the date of the registration at the Enforcement Authority. Conclusion: Debt repayment problems have a significant and detrimental impact on individuals' risk of committing suicide, even when several other socioeconomic risk factors are controlled for. The results reinforce the importance of ongoing attempts to remove the issue of debt problem from its status as a rather hidden suicidogenic risk factor.