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A regional approach to understanding farmer suicide rates in Queensland

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Abstract

Purpose

Elevated suicide rates among farmers have been observed across a number of countries, including Australia. However, studies on farmer suicide have typically treated farmers as a homogenous group, and have predominately been focussed at a national level. This overlooks potential variability in suicide rates (and, by extension, contributory factors) within different groups of farmers (for example, different age groups), as well as across different geographical locations.

Methods

Using a unique data source, the Queensland Suicide Register, the current study examined variation in farmer suicide rates by age, sex, and location within Queensland.

Results

Although farmer suicide rates varied substantially across different regions of Queensland, no significant associations were found between rates of farmer and non-farmer suicide, or between the proportion of farmers in a region and farmer suicide rates.

Conclusions

This suggests that farmer suicide may be characterised by unique combinations of occupational and location-related effects that are likely to vary substantially within and between different regions, and provides caution against treating farmer suicide as a homogenous phenomenon. The highest rates of farmer suicide were observed among younger farmers (aged 18–34 years), highlighting a need for targeted suicide prevention initiatives for this group.

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Acknowledgments

The authors gratefully thank Queensland Health/Queensland Mental Health Commission for their continuing support of the Queensland Suicide Register.

Conflict of interest

On behalf of all authors, the corresponding author states that there is no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Australian Institute for Suicide Research and Prevention, National Centre of Excellence in Suicide Prevention, W.H.O. Collaborating Centre for Research and Training in Suicide Prevention, Griffith University, Building M24 Psychology, 176 Messines Ridge Road, Mt Gravatt Campus, Griffith, QLD, 4122, Australia

    Urska Arnautovska, Samara McPhedran & Diego De Leo

Authors
  1. Urska Arnautovska
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  2. Samara McPhedran
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  3. Diego De Leo
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Urska Arnautovska.

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Arnautovska, U., McPhedran, S. & De Leo, D. A regional approach to understanding farmer suicide rates in Queensland. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 49, 593–599 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-013-0777-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-013-0777-9

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