Risk of suicide is higher for men turning 30

Middle-aged men in their 30s, 40s, and 50s are more vulnerable to suicide according to new study...

17:44 25 September 2012

Studies show that men in their 30s, 40s, and 50s face a higher risk of suicide. It was also revealed that changes in the job market, which decreases the number of traditional masculine jobs, and the breakdown of marriages are to blame for this disturbing statistic. 

 

Men who are entering the middle stage of their life reportedly face turmoil, as this age category is often marked with job difficulties and marriage problems according to recent studies. 

 

Records show that about 3,000 men between 30 and 60 years old commit suicide every year. This is almost twice as many as the number of younger men who take their own lives. In the past, the late teens up to 20 years old were the highest-risk group, but now it is understood this has shifted to men who were born in the sixties. 

 

Researchers said that some blame could also be placed on the cultural changes that have transformed men’s roles in life, as reported by the Mail Online.

 

The fact that men who were born in the sixties are called as the ‘buffer generation’ may be why middle-aged men today suffer most from the transition between traditionally masculine men, and younger men who are more in touch with their emotions. 

 

Also, aside from the fact that divorce rates are growing, researchers have reportedly said that men in the 35-55 age group are more heavily dependent on their partners, so they tend to have a harder time dealing with divorce and separation. 

 

As explained by the Daily Mail, experts say all these factors together challenge the sense of masculine pride and identity among men, and this explains the higher risk of suicide that they are facing nowadays.