Suicidal ideation and reported suicide attempts in Greece during the economic crisis

Abstract

The financial crisis in Greece is largely impinging on the health and mental health of the population, raising concerns about a potential rise in suicide rates. The aim of this study was to explore changes in suicidal ideation and reported suicide attempts between 2009 and 2011 in a representative sample of the population and in several population subgroups. The socio-economic predictors of suicidal ideation and suicide attempts in 2011 were also investigated. Two nationwide cross-sectional telephone surveys were conducted in 2009 and 2011 using the same methodology. A random and representative sample of 2192 and 2256 people, respectively, took part in the surveys. Between 2009 and 2011, there was a substantial increase in the prevalence of suicidal ideation and reported suicide attempts. People suffering from depression, men, married individuals, people experiencing financial strain, people with low interpersonal trust, and individuals with a history of suicide attempts were particularly vulnerable.

Suicidal ideation and suicide attempts in Greece during the economic crisis: an update

“…A series of nationwide surveys conducted by our research team has arrived at similar conclusions, confirming a significant rise in the one-month prevalence of suicidal ideation (from 5.2% in 2009 to 6.7% in 2011) as well as suicide attempt (from 1.1% in 2009 to 1.5% in 2011) 6 . In the same report, people suffering from major depression, married individuals, people experiencing financial strain, people with low levels of interpersonal trust and individuals with a history of suicide attempt were at elevated odds of manifesting suicidality symptoms 6 .…”

“…Recent studies used statistical methods such as autoregressive cross-lagged modeling to examine whether alliance levels precede symptomatic levels, session by session over the entire course of treatment. The findings show that alliance indeed precedes symptom reduction over the course of treatment in both psychotherapy [5][6][7] and psychopharmacotherapy 8 , suggesting that it is a true predictor of outcome.…”

“…In the same report, people suffering from major depression, married individuals, people experiencing financial strain, people with low levels of interpersonal trust and individuals with a history of suicide attempt were at elevated odds of manifesting suicidality symptoms 6 .…”

Avrupada ekonomik kriz ve özkıyım istatistikleri

“…The experience from the Asian economic crisis of the 90s, has put a particular emphasis on the effect of rising unemployment (25,26). There are several studies published until now, suggesting a similar pattern concerning the impact of the economic crisis in European countries (7,9,(27)(28)(29)(30)(31)(32)(33)(34)(35)(36) and the US (33) although different interpretations also exist (18,19,37,38). However, it should be noted that most of these studies on European rates analyze the suicidal rates from 2007 on and not before, and thus fail to catch the long-term trend.…”

Demands of Social Change Across Multiple Domains of Life and Across Time at the Advent of the Global Financial Crisis

“…Among other macro-level consequences, the GFC produced a crash in the stock markets, a rise in insolvencies of companies, massive lay-offs, evictions, foreclosures, and a widespread uncertainty concerning the general sustainability of the capitalist economic system (e.g., Claessens, Dell'Ariccia, Igan, & Laeven, 2010;Kotz, 2009). Given the large scale of consequences, it is not surprising from a developmental science perspective that the economic situation in the first decade of the new millennium had major repercussions on individual adjustment and mental health (e.g., Deaton, 2012;Economou et al, 2013;Gili, Roca, Basu, McKee, & Stuckler, 2012).…”