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Income Inequality and Risk of Suicide in New York City Neighborhoods: A Multilevel Case‐Control Study
Author(s) -
Miller Jeffrey R.,
Piper Tinka Markham,
Ahern Jennifer,
Tracy Melissa,
Tardiff Kenneth J.,
Vlahov David,
Galea Sandro
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
suicide and life‐threatening behavior
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.544
H-Index - 90
eISSN - 1943-278X
pISSN - 0363-0234
DOI - 10.1521/suli.2005.35.4.448
Subject(s) - multilevel model , inequality , economic inequality , suicide prevention , demography , medical examiner , poison control , injury prevention , human factors and ergonomics , gerontology , medicine , demographic economics , psychology , environmental health , sociology , economics , statistics , mathematical analysis , mathematics
Evidence on the relationship between income inequality and suicide is inconsistent. Data from the New York City Office of the Chief Medical Examiner for all fatal injuries was collected to conduct a multilevel case‐control study. In multilevel models, suicide decedents ( n = 374) were more likely than accident controls ( n = 453) to reside in neighborhoods with greater income inequality even after controlling for individual characteristics; this relation was modified by age with an effect overall and among decedents aged 15–34 but not among decedents 35–64. These data suggest that income inequality may contribute to the risk of suicide in younger adults.