Income inequality and risk of suicide in New York City neighborhoods: A multilevel case-control study

Jeffrey R. Miller, Tinka Markham Piper, Jennifer Ahern, Melissa Tracy, Kenneth J. Tardiff, David Vlahov, Sandro Galea

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

25 Scopus citations

Abstract

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 (M = 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.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)448-459
Number of pages12
JournalSuicide and Life-Threatening Behavior
Volume35
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - Aug 2005
Externally publishedYes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Clinical Psychology
  • Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
  • Psychiatry and Mental health

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