This paper empirically assesses the theory of interpersonal income comparison using individual level data on suicide … deaths in the United States. We model suicide as a choice variable, conditional on exogenous risk factors, reflecting an … individual's assessment of current and expected future utility. Our empirical analysis considers whether suicide risk is …

We assess the importance of interpersonal income comparisons using data on suicide deaths. We examine whether suicide … models of the suicide hazard using two independent data sets: (1) the National Longitudinal Mortality Study and (2) the …, individual suicide risk rises with others’ income. …