A new study has identified eight factors affecting the risk of suicide among healthcare professionals.
For the study, published in JAMA Surgery, researchers gathered data from the National Violent Death Reporting System and identified all individuals who died by suicide in the U.S. between Jan. 1, 2003, and Dec. 31, 2016.
They identified 170,030 people who died by suicide, of whom 767 were healthcare professionals.
Researchers found that, compared to the general population, healthcare professionals had a higher risk of suicide if they:
● Were of Asian or Pacific Islander ancestry
● Had job problems
● Had civil legal problems
● Had physical health problems
● Were receiving treatment for mental illness
Compared with the general population, healthcare professionals had a lower risk of suicide if they:
● Had black ancestry
● Were female
● Were unmarried