310893
Great Recession, Alcohol Intoxication and Suicide: Results from the National Violent Death Reporting System
Methods: Data from the restricted National Violent Death Reporting System 2003-11 for 41,197 male and 12,194 female suicide decedents aged 20 years and older were analyzed by multiple logistic regression to test whether there was a significant change in the prevalence of acute intoxication (defined as BAC ≥ 0.08 g/dl) before, during, and after the Great Recession.
Results: The rate of alcohol intoxication for all suicide decedents increased 10% after the onset of the economic crisis, from 21.8% in 2003-07 to 24.1% in 2008-11. Compared to the years prior to the recession, male suicide decedents showed a 1.16-fold (95% CI, 1.10-1.23) increased risk of alcohol intoxication within the first two years of the financial crisis. Notably, there was evidence of a lag effect among female suicide decedents. Women had a 1.21-fold (95% CI, 1.08-1.35) increased risk of intoxication in 2010-11 compared to 2003-07.
Conclusions: During the recent recession there was a significant inverse relationship between economic conditions and alcohol-related suicides and the timing of the effect differed by gender.
Learning Areas:
EpidemiologyPublic health or related research
Social and behavioral sciences
Learning Objectives:
Discuss the effects of the Great Recession on alcohol-linked suicides.
Keyword(s): Alcohol Use, Suicide
Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have expertise in suicide research and serve as PI on the NIAAA grant that supported this research.
Any relevant financial relationships? No
I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.