Analysis of the impact of socio-economic factors on the number of suicide cases in European countries

Aleksandra Katarzyna Duchalska

doi:https://doi.org/10.59139/ps.2023.03.2

Aleksandra Katarzyna Duchalska Krakow University of Economics, College of Economics, Finance, and Law, Institute of Quantitative Methods in Social Sciences, ul. Rakowicka 27, 31-510 Kraków, Poland ORCID:https://orcid.org/0009-0006-2850-3285 Przegląd Statystyczny. Statistical Review, vol. 70, 2023, 3, pages: 18-36 Published online: 29 March 2024 DOI https://doi.org/10.59139/ps.2023.03.2 Citation: Duchalska, A. K. (2023). Analysis of the impact of socio-economic factors on the number of suicide cases in European countries. Przegląd Statystyczny. Statistical Review, 70(3), 18–36. https://doi.org/10.59139/ps.2023.03.2.

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ABSTRACT

Suicide rates in Europe have in the recent years reached a disturbingly high level, sparking frequent discussions on the topic of mental health and suicide prevention, which significantly affect not only individuals but also their environment. The aim of this paper was to analyse the impact of the socio-economic situation on suicide rates using panel data analysis. The study presents an overview of the related literature and the definitions of essential terms concerning suicide, as well as the socio-economic factors determining suicide rates. The parameters of a fixed effects model were estimated, interpreted and compared with the results of earlier research. The analysis of the selected dataset showed that GDP per capita and the Gini coefficient have a negative and statistically insignificant impact on suicide rates. On the other hand, the conducted research showed that high divorce and unemployment rates, risk of poverty, social exclusion and excessive alcohol consumption proved to be statistically significant, thus increasing suicide rates.

KEYWORDS

suicide, panel data analysis, socio-economic situation, fixed effects model

JEL

C33, I12, I14, I15

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