Description
Presented a paper as part of a four person panelAbstract:
In the United States between 1999 and 2022, approximately 3.1 million people have died from overdoses, alcohol-related-diseases, and suicide, collectively labelled Deaths of Despair. The most common victims are working class individuals without college degrees that have experienced increased difficulty in the modern labour market. Two common factors behind Deaths of Despair are long term economic hardship and lack of social connection. Since the late 1970s, the US has undergone seismic socio-economic shifts. Union density, job quality, and social capital have declined as a partial result of deindustrialization and the rise of neoliberalism. All of these are associated with Deaths of Despair. With the rise of precarious work, employment is no longer a reliable site of identity formation and is no longer a source of ‘ontological security’ which has harmed the mental wellbeing of many Americans. Furthermore, the growth of precarious work has created a polarized labour market which has exacerbated social exclusion and alienation in American society. These changes coupled with the decline of many American communities has allowed Diseases of Despair to fill the void. Furthermore, many attempts to build social citizenship in the US have been undone. This paper will draw on several psychological theories of addiction which indicates it stems from a sense powerlessness and emotional pain. It will argue that through labour solidarity along with improved realization of labour rights, social capital and social citizenship can be rebuilt which in turn may be used as a supplementary public health tool to help decrease these deaths.
| Period | 8 May 2025 |
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| Event type | Conference |
| Conference number | 52nd |
| Location | Cork, IrelandShow on map |