Stressful jobs linked to kids' suicide risk

The children of men with stressful jobs are at a higher risk of attempting suicide than others, says a study.

The children of men with stressful jobs are at a higher risk of attempting suicide than others, says a study.

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Researchers from the University of British Columbia and several other institutions in Canada and Britain studied approximately 30,000 men - who were working or had worked at sawmills in British Columbia - and their children, reported science portal EurekAlert.

They collected data on the men's history of employment, their physical work environment and their psychosocial work conditions - these included the level of responsibility, control over everyday tasks and time constraints, which govern levels of stress.

The results of the study showed that 250 of the approximately 20,000 children in the study attempted or committed suicide over the 15-year period from 1985 to 2001.

Fathers' work conditions while their children were less than 16 years of age had an impact on attempted and completed suicides among their children.

In particular, the female children of men with low control over their work seemed to be at higher risk for attempted suicide during childhood and young adulthood than the female children of fathers in jobs with more control, the researchers said.