8245683 The risk of suicide during the COVID-19 pandemic according to occupation and industry

<h3>Objective</h3> This study seeks to assess whether there were differences in the risk of suicide during the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic compared to the previous three years according to occupation and industry using death certificate data. <h3>Methods</h3> Data about suicide were obtained from the National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS) for working age adults (16 to 64) for the years 2017 to 2021. Mortality rates and rate ratios (calculated using Poisson regression) according to occupation and industry were examined for three time periods: (1) 2017 to 2019, (2) March 2020 to December 2020, (3) 2021. <h3>Results</h3> This study found that among workers in the study states the rate of suicides declined between the three years preceding the COVID-19 pandemic and the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic. Workers in personal care and service and food preparation and serving related occupations and accommodation and food services industries had significant increases in mortality rates in the last ten months of 2020. In models that adjusted for age, sex, race/ethnicity and educational attainment, construction workers had a significant increase in mortality rates in 2020 and 2021 and workers in farming, fishing, and forestry; building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations had significant increases in mortality rates in 2021. Workers in arts, entertainment, and recreation industries had significant increases in suicide mortality rates in 2021. <h3>Conclusions</h3> Despite overall declines in mortality during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, workers in some occupations and industries, especially those that had elevated mortality rates from COVID-19 had increases in suicide mortality. Further research should examine factors that may have contributed to this increases, especially the impact of COVID-19 itself, psychosocial strain, and the economic effects of the pandemic.