Macdonald, J., Wilson, M., & Seidler, Z. (2025).
The Conversation.
Here is an excerpt:
What did we find?
We brought together findings from 75 studies across 30 countries worldwide, involving more than 106 million men.
We focused on understanding why relationship breakdown can lead to suicide in men, and which men are most at risk. We might not be able to prevent breakups from happening, but we can promote healthy adjustment to the stress of relationship breakdown to try and prevent suicide.
Overall, we found divorced men were 2.8 times more likely to take their lives than married men.
For separated men, the risk was much higher. We found that separated men were 4.8 times more likely to die by suicide than married men.
Most strikingly, we found separated men under 35 years of age had nearly nine times greater odds of suicide than married men of the same age.
The short-term period after relationship breakdown therefore appears particularly risky for men’s mental health.
What are these men feeling?
Some men’s difficulties regulating the intense emotional stress of relationship breakdown can play a role in their suicide risk. For some men, the emotional pain tied to separation – deep sadness, shame, guilt, anxiety and loss – can be so intense it feels never-ending.
Many men are raised in a culture of masculinity that often encourages them to suppress or withdraw from their emotions in times of intense stress.
Some men also experience difficulties understanding or interpreting their emotions, which can create challenges in knowing how to respond to them.
Here is a summary:
Separated men face a significantly higher risk of suicide compared to married men—nearly five times as likely—and twice as likely as divorced men. This suggests the immediate post-separation period is a critical window of vulnerability. Possible contributing factors include a lack of institutional support (unlike divorce, separation often lacks structured legal or counseling resources), social isolation, and heightened financial and parenting stressors. For psychologists, this highlights the need for proactive mental health screening, targeted interventions to bolster coping skills and social support, and gender-sensitive approaches to engage men who may be reluctant to seek help. The findings underscore separation as a high-risk life transition requiring focused suicide prevention efforts.
