Drugs or despair? Unraveling the rise in deaths of despair in Illinois
Journal of Public Mental Health
ISSN: 1746-5729
Article publication date: 12 August 2022
Issue publication date: 16 August 2022
Abstract
Purpose
Increases in deaths of despair in the USA have been associated with economic conditions and drug availability. In the state of Illinois, deaths of despair represent a significant public health issue. This study aims to examine the relationship between county-level economic distress, drug availability and mortality from deaths of despair collectively and for each contributing cause of death individually in the state of Illinois to better understand drivers of mortality locally.
Design/methodology/approach
Two cross-sectional analyses were conducted for 2010–2014 and 2015–2019. Correlations, regression analyses and relative weight analyses were applied to assess the relationship between deaths of despair mortality rate and the individual variables.
Findings
Deaths of despair mortality collectively and for each cause of death individually increased significantly from 2010–2014 to 2015–2019 in Illinois. Suicide mortality was higher in rural counties and was related to economic distress, while drug poisoning and alcohol-related deaths were higher in urban counties and were related to drug availability indicators.
Originality/value
While all three causes of death increased in the state, suicide mortality was inversely related to deaths of despair mortality. This may be because of different individual risk factors in rural versus urban areas or issues with coding cause of death. The findings of this study point to a rising public health challenge of deaths of despair mortality, particularly from substance use, in urban counties and from suicide in rural counties.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
Declarations
Funding: Funding for this study was provided through an internal grant from the author’s institution. No external funding was received for this study.
Ethics Approval: This study was reviewed by the University Institutional Review Board and determined to be exempt according to 45 CFR 46.101(b)2.
Availability of Data and Material: Data that supports the findings of this study are available from the author upon reasonable request.
Author Contribution: The author confirms sole responsibility for study conception and design, data collection, analysis and interpretation of results and manuscript preparation.
The author would like to thank the Economic Innovation Group for their assistance in obtaining data on the Distressed Communities Index. Funding for this study was provided by a summer research support grant from the College of Health and Human Sciences at Southern Illinois University.
Citation
Cataldo, J. (2022), "Drugs or despair? Unraveling the rise in deaths of despair in Illinois", Journal of Public Mental Health, Vol. 21 No. 3, pp. 226-238. https://doi.org/10.1108/JPMH-01-2022-0004
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2022, Emerald Publishing Limited