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Life dissatisfaction as a predictor of fatal injury in a 20‐year follow‐up
Author(s) -
KoivumaaHonkanen H.,
Honkanen R.,
Koskenvuo M.,
Viinamäki H.,
Kaprio J.
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
acta psychiatrica scandinavica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.849
H-Index - 146
eISSN - 1600-0447
pISSN - 0001-690X
DOI - 10.1034/j.1600-0447.2002.01287.x
Subject(s) - medicine , hazard ratio , injury prevention , occupational safety and health , confidence interval , suicide prevention , proportional hazards model , poison control , life satisfaction , demography , gerontology , medical emergency , psychology , pathology , sociology , psychotherapist
Objective: To investigate the role of life satisfaction (LS) in fatal injuries with special references to unintentional injuries and whether health status modifies this relationship. Method: A sample of adult Finns unselected for health status ( n =29 173) responded in 1975 to a LS scale. Nationwide registry for deaths was used. The dissatisfied were compared with the satisfied by Cox regression. Results: During 1976–1995, 469 fatal injuries occurred, of which 235 were unintentional. Dissatisfaction predicted fatal unintentional [hazard ratio (HR)=2.83; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.77–4.51] and intentional injury (HR=3.26; 2.01–5.30). The risk of fatal unintentional injury was 7.8‐fold (women) and 4.0‐fold (men) increased in the sick and dissatisfied compared with the healthy and satisfied. A repeatedly reported dissatisfaction (1975, 1981) provided a HR of 5.17 (1.48–18.0) for unintentional injury death during 1981–1995. The found effect was partly mediated through health behavior and social situation. Conclusion: Life dissatisfaction predicts both unintentional and intentional injury death.