RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Economic contraction, alcohol intoxication and suicide: analysis of the National Violent Death Reporting System
JF Injury Prevention
JO Inj Prev
FD BMJ Publishing Group Ltd
SP 35
OP 41
DO 10.1136/injuryprev-2014-041215
VO 21
IS 1
A1 M S Kaplan
A1 N Huguet
A1 R Caetano
A1 N Giesbrecht
A1 W C Kerr
A1 B H McFarland
YR 2015
UL http://injuryprevention.bmj.com/content/21/1/35.abstract
AB Objectives Although there is a large and growing body of evidence concerning the impact of contracting economies on suicide mortality risk, far less is known about the role alcohol consumption plays in the complex relationship between economic conditions and suicide. The aims were to compare the postmortem alcohol intoxication rates among male and female suicide decedents before (2005–2007), during (2008–2009) and after (2010–2011) the economic contraction in the USA. Methods Data from the restricted National Violent Death Reporting System (2005–2011) for male and female suicide decedents aged 20 years and older were analysed by Poisson regression analysis to test whether there was significant change in the fractions of suicide decedents who were acutely intoxicated at the time of death (defined as blood alcohol content ≥0.08 g/dL) prior, during and after the downturn. Results The fraction of all suicide decedents with alcohol intoxication increased by 7% after the onset of the recession from 22.2% in 2005–2007 to 23.9% in 2008–2011. Compared with the years prior to the recession, male suicide decedents showed a 1.09-fold increased risk of alcohol intoxication within the first 2 years of the recession. Surprisingly, there was evidence of a lag effect among female suicide decedents, who had a 1.14-fold (95% CI 1.02 to 1.27) increased risk of intoxication in 2010–2011 compared with 2005–2007. Conclusions These findings suggest that acute alcohol intoxication in suicide interacts with economic conditions, becoming more prevalent during contractions.