“There is a lack of consensus among scholars and policymakers as to whether DoD constitutes a distinct epidemiological phenomenon and therefore requires a tailored investigational and interventional approach.” 

For researchers Elisabet Beseran, Juan M. Pericàs, Lucinda Cash-Gibson, Meritxell Ventura-Cots, Keshia M. Pollack Porter and Joan Benach, studies on DoD are relatively scarce in health science literature, despite the fact that DoD are a prevalent phenomenon in the USA and Worldwide. In their recent publication, “Deaths of Despair: A Scoping Review on the Social Determinants of Drug Overdose, Alcohol-Related Liver Disease and Suicide”, these authors examine the social determinants of DoD, such as economic conditions, lower education levels, working in jobs with high insecurity, being unemployed and living in rural areas. They write, “it appears that large inequalities explain how DoD-related causes of death affect different subpopulations.”

As part of their research, the authors carried out a scoping review using the PubMed database. Findings from the literature suggest that low- and middle-income populations and middle-aged Americans are disproportionately affected by DoD. Regarding race and ethnicity, the studies in this review had mixed results. Some studies found that DoD was higher among White Non-Hispanic Americans, whilst “several studies only focused their analysis on this population subgroup.” Other studies indicated that other racial groups such as African and Hispanic Americans are also “particularly at risk of DoD behaviors”.

Based on these divergent conclusions, the researchers point out the need for further studies to use an intersectional approach in order to understand the root causes and social mechanisms of DoD. This information can be used to inform and design effective interventions in order to tackle this public health crisis.

Read the full Open Access article here.