Financial Stressors and Suicide

Is suicide associated with financial stressors in the previous year, as verified by national credit data? This case-control study of 17 439 veterans found that delinquent mortgage payments, repossessions, late credit card payments, and lower credit scores were associated with higher odds of suicide. Cumulative financial stressors and declining credit scores had the most robust associations with suicide, persisting in multivariable analyses adjusting for demographics and, among US Department of Veterans Affairs health care users, marital status and prior psychiatric diagnoses. Financial stressors were more prevalent in the previous 12 months among cases compared with controls, suggesting a need to address financial well-being as a component of suicide prevention.

Corresponding Author: Eric B. Elbogen, PhD, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University School of Medicine, Duke North Pavilion Box 102506, Durham, NC 27710 (eric.elbogen@duke.edu).

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