Deaths of despair: cause-specific mortality and socioeconomic inequalities in cause-specific mortality among young men in Scotland

Oncefa2 · 2022-04-18T15:22:42+00:00

From the abstract:

Background

Increasing mortality among men from drugs, alcohol and suicides is a growing public health concern in many countries. Collectively known as “deaths of despair”, they are seen to stem from unprecedented economic pressures and a breakdown in social support structures.

Conclusions

Contrary to the substantial reductions in mortality across all ages in the past decades, deaths among young men are increasing from preventable causes. Attempts to reduce external causes of mortality have focused on a single cause of death and not been effective in reducing mortality or inequalities in mortality from external causes in the long-run. To reduce deaths of despair, action should be taken to address social determinants of health and reduce socioeconomic inequalities.

A quote from the discussion section:

Different hypotheses, ranging from genetics, migration, health behaviours to economic policies and a “political attack”, have been proposed to explain high mortality rates in Scotland [34]. By examining the different causes of death among a specific demographic group and by deprivation levels, we can say which explanations are more likely than others. The causes driving mortality and inequalities in mortality among young men are not directly related to genetic differences, migration, poor diet, or lack of exercise. High rates of mortality from alcohol, suicides, and drugs, especially in the more deprived areas, can be better explained by theories emphasizing marginalization - lack of power (political and economic), opportunities and social support structures to overcome adverse life events. They speak of despair, of self-destructive behaviours that can have a direct effect on mortality through suicide, or an indirect impact through substance abuse [6].

Basically the aetiology can be traced back to systemic social disadvantages that men face in life -- external factors -- as opposed to anything innate with men or with masculine culture. This means that it is not a reflection of the patriarchy or with toxic masculinity. It is a reflection of male disadvantage and we owe it to ourselves to help solve these problems instead of victim blaming men for issues that are out of their control.

Title	Deaths of despair: cause-specific mortality and socioeconomic inequalities in cause-specific mortality among young men in Scotland
Author	Oncefa2
Upvotes	9
Comments	1
Date	April 18, 2022 3:16 PM UTC (4 years ago)
Subreddit	Posted in /r/Male_Studies
Original Link	https://old.reddit.com/r/Male_Studies/comments/u6fjw3/deaths_of_despair_causespecific_mortality_and/
Archive Link	https://theredarchive.com/r/Male_Studies/deaths-of-despair-cause-specific-mortality-and.1215918 https://theredarchive.com/post/1215918

Comments