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Is there a relationship between welfare-state policies and suicide rates? Evidence from the U.S. states, 2000–2015

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  • Rambotti, Simone

Abstract

Suicide is one of the leading causes of death in the United States. The rise in suicide rates is contributing to the recently observed decline in life expectancy. While previous research identified a solid association between economic strain and suicide, little attention has been paid to how specific welfare policies that are designed to alleviate economic strain may influence suicide rates. There is a growing body of research that is using an institutional approach to demonstrate the role of welfare-state policies in the distribution of health. However, this perspective has not been applied yet to the investigation of suicide. In this study, I combine these approaches to analyze the association between two specific policies, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), and overall and gender-specific suicide rates across the 50 U.S. states between 2000 and 2015. I estimate two-way fixed-effects longitudinal models and find evidence of a robust association between one of these policies – SNAP – and overall and male suicide. After adjusting for a number of confounding factors, higher participation in SNAP is associated with lower overall and male suicide rates. Increasing SNAP participation by one standard deviation (4.5% of the state population) during the study period could have saved the lives of approximately 31,600 people overall and 24,800 men.

Suggested Citation

  • Rambotti, Simone, 2020. "Is there a relationship between welfare-state policies and suicide rates? Evidence from the U.S. states, 2000–2015," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 246(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:246:y:2020:i:c:s0277953619307737
    DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2019.112778
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    1. Simpson, Julija & Albani, Viviana & Bell, Zoe & Bambra, Clare & Brown, Heather, 2021. "Effects of social security policy reforms on mental health and inequalities: A systematic review of observational studies in high-income countries," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 272(C).
    2. Gottlieb, Aaron & DiMonte, Cheryl & Bocanegra, Kathryn & Hong, Youngjin Stephanie & Peck-Block, Anna Rose, 2025. "Local government spending tradeoffs in the Great Lakes Region: Criminal legal spending, community investments, and violent death," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 382(C).
    3. Bjorklund, Eric, 2023. "The needle and the damage done: Deaths of despair, economic precarity, and the white working-class," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 333(C).
    4. Megan M. Reynolds & Patricia A. Homan, 2023. "Income Support Policy Packages and Birth Outcomes in U.S. States: An Ecological Analysis," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 42(4), pages 1-24, August.
    5. Fridh, Maria & Rosvall, Maria & Lindström, Martin, 2020. "Poor psychological health and 5-year suicide mortality: A population-based prospective cohort study," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 258(C).

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