Social Infrastructure Availability and Suicide Rates among Working-Age Adults in the United States.

Abstract

Social infrastructure (SI) may buffer against suicide risk by improving social cohesion, social support, and information and resource sharing. This study uses an ecological approach to examine the relationship between county-level SI availability and suicide rates among working-age adults (ages 25-64) in the United States, a population for whom suicide rates are high, rising, and geographically unequal. Mortality data are from the National Vital Statistics System for 2016-2019. SI data are from the National Neighborhood Data Archive for 2013-2015 and capture the availability of typically free SI (e.g. libraries, community centers) and commercial SI (e.g. coffee shops, diners, entertainment venues). Results from negative binomial models show that suicide rates are significantly lower in counties with more SI availability, net of county demographic, socioeconomic, and health care factors. This relationship held for both typically free and commercial SI. Policymakers should consider strengthening existing and developing new social infrastructure, particularly in counties with less educated populations, as part of a broader strategy to reduce suicide rates in the United States.