Economic conjuncture and suicide in Brazil over the last four decades: an econometric analysis

Abstract

This article examines the impact of economic conjunctural factors on suicide rates among Brazilian men and women over the last four decades. Data come from the Brazilian Ministry of Health - Mortality Information System (SIM) and cover the period from January 1979 to December 2022. We estimated monthly suicide rates among men and women by age group: up to 19 years old, 20 to 59 years old, and 60 and older, and we segregated the data according to family status. We used an econometric model to quantify the effects of economic conjuncture. Our findings show that economic conjunctural factors influence suicide rates, and that such an influence varies in terms of nature and degree.