Income inequality has been increasing for decades and is now known to be related to many downstream health outcomes, where greater inequality is a predictor of poorer health. Results of investigations into the relationship between income inequality and suicidality have been mixed. This study leverages the most recent data available from the National Longitudinal Mortality Study to investigate the relationship between state-level income inequality and suicide mortality. A series of rigorously controlled logistic regression models, employing multiple measures of inequality, and various suicide mortality case-control specifications are used to investigate the phenomenon. Results indicate that the odds of suicide mortality increase with inequality, and this result is invariant across all models. A reduction in the Gini coefficient from the highest to lowest values of income inequality observed in U.S. states may reduce the odds of suicide mortality by 20 percent to 55 percent or more. Findings have application for social workers and other mental health professionals with respect to clinical assessment and treatment. Likewise, community organizers, policy advocates, and legislators should be aware that policy solutions reducing income inequality in the United States are a mechanism for alleviating the suicide mortality burden.

中文翻译：

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州级收入不平等是美国自杀死亡率的决定因素。


几十年来，收入不平等一直在加剧，现在已知与许多下游健康结果有关，其中更大的不平等预示着健康状况较差。关于收入不平等与自杀之间关系的调查结果好坏参半。本研究利用国家纵向死亡率研究的最新数据来调查州级收入不平等与自杀死亡率之间的关系。一系列严格控制的逻辑回归模型，采用多种不平等措施和各种自杀死亡率病例对照规范来调查这一现象。结果表明，自杀死亡率的几率随着不平等的增加而增加，并且这一结果在所有模型中都是不变的。在美国各州观察到的收入不平等基尼系数从最高值降低到最低值可能会将自杀死亡率降低 20% 至 55% 或更多。研究结果适用于社会工作者和其他心理健康专业人员的临床评估和治疗。同样，社区组织者、政策倡导者和立法者应该意识到，减少美国收入不平等的政策解决方案是减轻自杀死亡率负担的机制。