Identification of socio-demographic, occupational, and societal factors for guiding suicide prevention: A cohort study of Swiss male workers (2000-2014)

Introduction We modeled suicidal rate among Swiss working-age males, considering three groups of factors at socio-demographic, occupational, and societal levels jointly. Our goal was twofold: to verify the effect of occupation after adjustment for non-occupational factors and to identify protective and risk factors relevant for suicide prevention in working male adults. Methods The study population included all men aged [18-65] years at the 2000 population census and followed up within the Swiss National Cohort (SNC). The risk of suicide was modeled using Poisson regression. Results The cohort comprised 1,534,564 men and 4371 deaths by suicide. Suicide rate varied significantly according to age, civil status, nationality, highest education achieved, and socio-professional category at socio-demographic level; occupation, occupational activity branch, weekly working hours, and home-to-work commute time at occupational level; calendar period of death, region, religious affiliation, and volunteering activity at societal level. After adjustment for non-occupational factors, agricultural and fishery laborers, military and civil security workers, and health and social workers were identified as high-risk groups with respect to suicide. Conclusion This study evidenced a complex web of factors at socio-demographic, occupational, and societal levels behind the suicide in Swiss male workers and identified the most at-risk groups, deserving targeted prevention efforts.