Spending cuts in Greece have caused some 500 male suicides since their implementation, according to a new study. The research found a positive correlation between austerity and suicide rates after other possible links proved to be unrelated.
The 30-page study, titled 'The Impact of Fiscal Austerity on
Suicide: On the Empirics of a Modern Greek Tragedy' and published
in the Social Science and Medicine journal was authored by
Nikolaos Antonakakis and Alan Collins from Portsmouth University.
“Suicide rates in Greece (and other European countries) have been
on a remarkable upward trend following the global recession of
2008 and the European sovereign debt crisis of 2009,” states
the study’s abstract.
Each 1 percent decrease in government spending resulted in a 0.43
percent rise in suicides among men, according to the study.
Between 2009 and 2010, there were 551 deaths which occurred
“solely because of fiscal austerity,” it stated.
“That is almost one person per day. Given that in 2010 there
were around two suicides in Greece per day, it appears 50 percent
were due to austerity,” one of the paper’s co-authors,
Nikolaos Antonakakis, told the Guardian.
Antonakakis, a Greek national, said that he had been motivated to
examine the link between austerity and suicide rates after
watching media reports and hearing stories about friends of
friends killing themselves.
While there had already been research into the impact of negative
economic growth on health, there had previously been no studies
linking austerity cuts with poor health and suicide.
“Our empirical findings suggest that fiscal austerity, higher
unemployment rates, negative economic growth and reduced
fertility rates lead to significant increases on overall suicide
rates in Greece, while increased alcohol consumption and divorce
rates do no exert any significant influence on overall suicide
rates,” the study notes.
Antonakakis and Collins are both contemplating expanding their
work by examining the link between economic austerity in other
eurozone countries most affected by the crisis. This work could
encompass Spain, Portugal, Italy, and Ireland.
“These findings have strong implications for policymakers and
for health agencies,” said Antonakakis. “We often talk
about the fiscal multiplier effect of austerity, such as what it
does to GDP. But what is the health multiplier?” he
questioned.
The study identified some gender and age trends, finding that men
in the 45-89 age bracket suffer the largest risk because of
salary and pension cuts. There was no obvious rise in suicide
rates among females.
“The fact we find gender specificity and age specificity can
help health agencies target their help,” said Antonakakis.