Can increases in the minimum wage prevent suicide?

Last year, two extremely intriguing papers were published suggesting that increases in state minimum wages led to reductions in suicides (here and here). A new research study contributes to the evidence, though in this paper John Kaufman and colleagues looked specifically at the effects on those with a high school education or less (those whom minimum wage policies would most likely effect) and also how state unemployment modifies the effect. Indeed, depending on which statistical model you choose, the authors find evidence that a $1 increase in the state minimum wage reduced suicide rates by 3.5 . to 6 percent. And unemployment rates, it appears, DO play a role: the association between minimum wage and suicide persists during periods of high unemployment (greater than 6.5% ) but during periods of low unemployment, there are no apparent effects. There’s much to appreciate about this study; policy researchers, in particular, would be interested in the lengths and sophistication the study team used to code minimum wage policy data. But the study is not without critics, many of whom are quoted in a recent New York Times article here. To me, the three recent studies in combination showing similar effects should make us think hard about how social policies impact health, and how along with high quality mental health care, such policies might be important levers for reducing the U.S. suicide rate.

Kaufman JA et al. 2020. Effects of increased minimum wages by unemployment rate on suicide in the USA. Epidemiology & Community Health. Epub ahead of print: doi:10.1136/jech-2019- 212981

Available here: https://jech.bmj.com/content/early/2020/01/03/jech-2019-212981