September 13, 2021

UOW Scholar investigates suicide issues in young Australian Women

NIASRA staff and her team received a Best paper award by Economic Papers

NIASRA staff Dr Pauline O'Shaughnessy and her long-term collaborators Dr Louise Rawlings (Department of Infrastructure) and Professor Stephen Robson (ANU) have recently received the Best paper award by the journal Economic Papers for their 2019 paper, titled “Potentially Preventable Mortality in Young Australian Women, 2001 to 2016”.

In this paper, the team examined the mortality rates in Australian women aged twenty to fifty years during 2001–2016, demonstrating continued disparity by socioeconomic status. They found that mortality has declined but the reduction occurred in the first decade with no evidence of improved rates since 2010. There have been steady improvements in death rates from causes not considered preventable, while potentially preventable deaths increased in all but the highest socioeconomic quintiles.

The team pointed out that these rises are particularly alarming in what have been termed “deaths of despair.” As well as the obvious compassionate responses to death in prime aged women, there are important economic considerations that should prompt further research and a policy response.

Dr O’Shaughnessy is a statistician from the NIASRA. Along with Dr Rawlings, a political economist and Professor Robson, a Senior Specialist in Obstetrics and Gynaecology, the team has worked extensively on women’s health and Australian health policies.