Stressed, Lonely, and Overcommitted: Predictors of Lawyer Suicide Risk

Abstract

Suicide is a significant public health concern, and lawyers have been shown to have an elevated risk for contemplating it. In this study, we sought to identify predictors of suicidal ideation in a sample consisting of 1962 randomly selected lawyers. Using logistic regression analysis, we found that high levels of work overcommitment, high levels of perceived stress, loneliness as measured by the UCLA loneliness scale, and being male were all significantly associated with an increased risk of suicidal ideation. These results suggest that interventions aimed at reducing work overcommitment, stress, and loneliness, and addressing gender-specific risk factors, may be effective in reducing the risk of suicidal ideation among lawyers. Further research is needed to expand upon these findings and to develop and test interventions specifically tailored to the needs of this population.

Keywords

• lawyers
• suicidal ideation
• occupational stress
• loneliness
• perceived stress
• depression