The effect of economic factors on suicide: an analysis of a developing country

• Date: 05 July 2022
• Pages: 473-482
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/IJHRH-03-2022-0023
• Published date: 05 July 2022
• Subject Matter: Health & social care,Vulnerable groups,Inequalities & diverse/minority groups,Sociology,Race & ethnic studies,Minorities,Multiculturalism,Racial identity,Work,economy & organizations
• Author: Mert Akyuz,Cagin Karul

The effect of economic factors on suicide:

an analysis of a developing country

Mert Akyuz and Cagin Karul

Abstract

Purpose –This study aimsto examine the effects of industrial production (IP),inflation and investment on

suicidemortality in Turkey as a developing countryover the 1988–2018 period.

Design/methodology/approach –Fourier cointegration test and dynamic ordinary least square

regressionwere used in this study.

Findings –IP and investment have a statistically significant and negative impact on suicide mortality,

whereasinflation has a statistically significantand positive effect on suicidemortality.

Research limitations/implications –The results of this study have important implications for

policymakers and potentiallythe creation and implementation of suicide preventionpolicies. Not only do

investment promotion, IP and disinflation policies in developing countries have a significant effect on

economicgrowth but they also have a substantial impacton mental health.

Originality/value –Although previous studies have investigated the impact of economic growth and

unemployment on suicide deaths in Turkey, no research has probed the effect of economic factors,

except for unemployment and gross domestic product, on suicide. Thus, given the hidden

unemployment and informal sector in developing economies, it is vital to examine the impact of IP,

inflationand investment on mental health.

Keywords Mental health, Suicide, Economics factors, Dynamic ordinary least square regression

Paper type Research paper

1. Introduction

Suicide has been one of the major international public health problems worldwide, and

it causes approximately 800,000 deaths every year [World Health Organization (WHO),

2021a]. Although suicide rates vary across countries, there are high differences

between developed and developing countries. The World Health Organization (WHO)

(2021b) estimates that 79% of suicide deaths took place in the low-and-middle income

countries, which account for 84% of the global population. Furthermore, 90% of

research related to suicide in public mental health comes from developed countries,

which comprise only 10% of the worldwide suicidal population [World Health

Organization (WHO), 2010]. Even though developing countries have taken a back seat

in public mental health studies in the previous years, suicide mortality in developing

countries has attracted much more attention among scholars and policymakers (Iemmi

et al., 2016).

Suicide is avoidable health behavior, and prevention policies for suicide have been

gradually brought into the light of public concern and comprehensive media coverage

worldwide, especially in developing countries (Vijayakumar et al., 2005a,2005b,2005c).

Within this context, academics and policymakers have attempted to answer the question of

which factors have a substantial impact onsuicide. Socioeconomic factors of mental health

include economic indicators such as unemployment, gross domestic product (GDP) and

consumer prices (Ceccherini-Nelli and Priebe, 2011;Schaede, 2013).

Mert Akyuz is based at the

Department of Economics,

Ankara Yildirim Beyazit

University, Ankara, Turkey.

Cagin Karul is based at the

Department of

Econometrics, Pamukkale

University, Denizli, Turkey.

Received 28 March 2022

Revised 16 May 2022

Accepted 12 June 2022

Funding: The author(s)

received no financial support

for the research, authorship

and/or publication of this

article.

DOI 10.1108/IJHRH-03-2022-0023 VOL. 16 NO. 5 2 023, pp. 473-482, ©Emerald Publishing Limited, ISSN 2056-4902 jINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HUMAN RIGHTS IN HEALTHCARE jPAGE 473