Exploring Contextual Factors Associated with Suicide among Older Male Farmers: Results from the CDC NVDRS Dataset

• Published in: Clinical gerontologist Vol. 44; no. 5; pp. 528 - 535
• Main Authors: Bower, Kyle L., Emerson, Kerstin Gerst
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Routledge 20.10.2021; Taylor & Francis Ltd
• Subjects: Age differences; Agriculture; Disease control; Durkheim suicide theory; Durkheim, Emile (1858-1917); Farmers; Health problems; Health status; interpersonal theory of suicide; Males; Marital status; Mental health; older men; Prevention programs; Stress; suicidality; Suicide; Systems approach; Violent death; older men; Durkheim suicide theory; suicidality; farmers; interpersonal theory of suicide
• ISSN: 0731-7115; 1545-2301
• DOI: 10.1080/07317115.2021.1893885

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to explore how demographic, relationship, mental health, and life stressors are associated with suicide among older male farmers and to determine if these differ by age. Methods: We conducted exploratory analyses with Centers for Disease Control (CDC) National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS) 2003-2017 dataset. We identified individuals who completed suicide while working in agriculture (N = 2,106). We explored descriptive statistics for farmers who completed suicide and compared these by age using chi-square tests. Results: The majority of the sample was male, non-Hispanic, and White. Marital status differed significantly by age, with older farmers more likely to be married or widowed. Having a mental health issue was not statistically significant by age; however, depression was most prevalent among those 65+. Older farmers who completed suicide were also significantly more likely to report physical health problems. Conclusions: Results illustrate the vulnerability of individuals contemplating suicide and emphasize the need to consider the phenomenon from a holistic perspective that accounts for individuals nested within community. Clinical implications: We recommend health providers consider a systems approach to suicide prevention as our results indicate individual, familial, and societal factors contributing to the incidence of suicide completion among older farmers.