Effects of statewide job losses on adolescent suicide-related behaviors.
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: We investigated the impact of statewide job loss on adolescent suicide-related
behaviors. METHODS: We used 1997 to 2009 data from the Youth Risk Behavior Survey
and the Bureau of Labor Statistics to estimate the effects of statewide job loss on
adolescents' suicidal ideation, suicide attempts, and suicide plans. Probit regression
models controlled for demographic characteristics, state of residence, and year; samples
were divided according to gender and race/ethnicity. RESULTS: Statewide job losses
during the year preceding the survey increased girls' probability of suicidal ideation
and suicide plans and non-Hispanic Black adolescents' probability of suicidal ideation,
suicide plans, and suicide attempts. Job losses among 1% of a state's working-age
population increased the probability of girls and Blacks reporting suicide-related
behaviors by 2 to 3 percentage points. Job losses did not affect the suicide-related
behaviors of boys, non-Hispanic Whites, or Hispanics. The results were robust to the
inclusion of other state economic characteristics. CONCLUSIONS: As are adults, adolescents
are affected by economic downturns. Our findings show that statewide job loss increases
adolescent girls' and non-Hispanic Blacks' suicide-related behaviors.
Type
Journal articleSubject
AdolescentAdolescent Behavior
Economic Recession
Female
Health Surveys
Humans
Male
Risk-Taking
Sex Factors
Suicidal Ideation
Suicide
Suicide, Attempted
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https://hdl.handle.net/10161/12433Published Version (Please cite this version)
10.2105/AJPH.2014.302081Publication Info
Gassman-Pines, Anna; Ananat, Elizabeth Oltmans; & Gibson-Davis, Christina M (2014). Effects of statewide job losses on adolescent suicide-related behaviors. Am J Public Health, 104(10). pp. 1964-1970. 10.2105/AJPH.2014.302081. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10161/12433.This is constructed from limited available data and may be imprecise. To cite this
article, please review & use the official citation provided by the journal.
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Elizabeth Oltmans Ananat
Associate Professor in the Sanford School of Public Policy
Elizabeth Oltmans Ananat is Associate Professor of Public Policy Studies and Economics
at Duke University. She received a B.A. in political economy and mathematics at Williams
College in 1999, a master's degree in public policy from the Ford School at the University
of Michigan in 2001, and a Ph.D. in economics from the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology in 2006. In 2010 she served as Senior Economist for Labor, Education, and
Welfare at the White House Council of Economic Advisers. Her resea
Anna Gassman-Pines
Professor in the Sanford School of Public Policy
Anna Gassman-Pines is a professor of public policy and psychology and neuroscience
at Duke University. She is also a Faculty Affiliate of Duke’s Center for Child and
Family Policy. Gassman-Pines received her BA with distinction in Psychology from Yale
University and PhD in Community and Developmental Psychology from New York University.
Her research focuses on low-wage work, family life and the effects of welfare and
employment policy on child and maternal well-being in low-income families
Christina M. Gibson-Davis
Professor in the Sanford School of Public Policy
Christina M. Gibson-Davis is a professor in the Sanford School of Public Policy, Duke
University, with a secondary appointment in sociology. Her research interests center
around social and economic differences in family formation patterns. Her current research
focuses on the how divergent patterns of family formation affect economic inequality.
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