Financial hardship and suicide ideation: Age and gender difference in a Korean panel study

• Published in: Journal of affective disorders 2021-11, Vol.294, p.889-896
• Main Authors: Choi, Minjae, Lim, Jiseun, Chang, Shu-Sen, Hwang, Minji, Kim, Cheong-Seok, Ki, Myung
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Financial hardship; Socioeconomic status; Suicide; Suicide ideation
• ISSN: 0165-0327; 1573-2517
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2021.07.102

•The prevalence of suicide ideation was 8.5% in those who had experienced financial hardship and 2.5% in those who had not.•The prevalence varied according to age, gender and degree of financial hardship; 1.4% in men aged 20-49 years with no financial hardship vs 20.2% in men aged ≥ 65 years with ≥3 hardships.•The pattern of the association between financial hardship and suicide ideation was dependent on age and gender. The association was cumulative over two years among male adults aged 50-64 and ≥65 years.•The magnitude of association became larger with age among male adults, but the pattern was less pronounced among female adults.•An increase in the number of financial hardships led to a significant increase in the risk of suicide ideation, showing an additive effect. Socioeconomic factors influence suicide risk but a systematic understanding of the role of financial hardship is unclear. We examined whether financial hardship had cumulative or contemporaneous impacts on suicide ideation and any gender and age differences in a large Korean sample. Data of 67,728 observations from 14,321 individuals were extracted from seven waves of Korean Welfare Panel Study. The association of financial hardship at baseline and its change over two years with suicide ideation was investigated using generalized estimation equation to account for repeated measurements within an individual, adjusting for other socioeconomic factors. Financial hardship was associated with suicide ideation but the magnitude of association varied across age and gender groups. Specifically, the impact of financial hardship was persistent over two years presenting a cumulative effect among men aged 50-64 years and ≥65 years; e.g., adjusted OR (adjusted odds ratio) = 3.87, 95 % CI = 2.71–5.54 for emergent hardship group vs adjusted OR = 4.22, 95 %CI = 3.00–5.93 for persistent group in those aged ≥65 years. Financial hardship increased the risk of suicide ideation incrementally with age, although the pattern was less clear among women. Financial hardship was identified as having changing nature, though it was assumed to occur over two years. In general, financial hardship plays a role in amplifying suicide ideation in a contemporaneous way but also in a cumulative way, predominantly among late-middle-aged and elderly men. Monitoring and intervention for financial hardship would be a promising strategy for suicide prevention.