The report
Media report - "Men and Suicide: Why it's a social issue" (PDF)
Full report - "Men, Suicide and Society" (PDF)
Reference: Wyllie, C., Platt, S., Brownlie, J., Chandler, A., Connolly, S., Evans, R., Kennelly, B. et al. (2012). Men, Suicide and Society. Why disadvantaged men in mid-life die by suicide. Surrey: Samaritans.
The research results
Our research, Men and Suicide: Why it’s a social issue, reveals that:
- men compare themselves against a ‘gold standard’ which prizes power, control and invincibility;
- men in mid-life are now part of the ‘buffer’ generation, not sure whether to be like their older, more traditional, strong, silent, austere fathers or like their younger, more progressive, individualistic sons;
- with the decline of traditional male industries, these men have lost not only their jobs but also a source of masculine pride and identity;
- men in mid-life remain overwhelmingly dependent on a female partner for emotional support.
Main findings
The main findings are split into 6 key themes and below are some of the issues raised:
- Personality traits – some traits can interact with factors such as deprivation, unemployment, social disconnection and triggering events, such as relationship breakdown or job loss, to increase the risk of suicide.
- Masculinity – more than women, men respond to stress by taking risks, like misusing alcohol and drugs.
- Relationship breakdowns – marriage breakdown is more likely to lead men, rather than women, to suicide.
- Challenges of mid-life – people currently in mid-life are experiencing more mental health problems and unhappiness compared to younger and older people.
- Emotional illiteracy – men are much less likely than women to have a positive view of counselling or therapy, and when they do use these services, it is at the point of crisis.
- Socio-economic factors – unemployed people are 2-3 times more likely to die by suicide than those in work and suicide increases during economic recession.
Suicide in disadvantaged men in their middle years is a health and social inequality issue.
Men living in these circumstances are up to 10 times more at risk of suicide than those living in the most advantaged conditions.
6 recommendations
Samaritans has made 6 recommendations for policy-makers and practitioners to debate and take forward:
- Take on the challenge of tackling the gender and socio-economic inequalities in suicide risk.
- Suicide prevention policy and practice must take account of men’s views of what it is to ‘be a man’.
- Recognise that for men in mid-life, loneliness is a very significant cause of their high risk of suicide.
- There must be explicit links between alcohol reduction and suicide prevention strategies.
- Support GPs to recognise signs of distress in men.
- Provide leadership and accountability at local level.