Gender-specific risk relationship between heavy alcohol use/alcohol use disorders and suicidal thoughts and behavior among adults in the United States over time

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

  • Shannon Lange - , University of Toronto (Author)
  • Huan Jiang - , University of Toronto (Author)
  • Courtney Bagge - , University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, VA Medical Center (Author)
  • Charlotte Probst - , University of Toronto, Heidelberg University  (Author)
  • Alexander Tran - , University of Toronto (Author)
  • Jürgen Rehm - , Chair of Behavioral Epidemiology, University of Toronto, TUD Dresden University of Technology, Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University (Author)

Abstract

Purpose: Suicidal thoughts and behaviors have been on the rise in the recent years in the US. There is a well-known link between heavy alcohol use/alcohol use disorders (AUDs) and suicidal thoughts and behaviors. An increase in the respective risk relationships is one way in which heavy alcohol use/AUDs may be driving the increase in the rate of suicidal thoughts and behaviors. The objective of the current study was to investigate whether the gender-specific risk relationships between heavy alcohol use/AUDs and past-year (1) suicidal thoughts and (2) attempted suicide have increased over time. Methods: Individual-level annual data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health for the past 12 years (2008–2019) were utilized. Year- and gender-specific multivariate binary logistic regression analyses were first conducted. Gender-stratified random-effects meta-regressions across study years were then conducted. Results: Heavy alcohol use/AUDs were associated with elevated odds of past-year suicidal thoughts and attempted suicide for both men and women; however, a linear increase in the risk relationships over time was not found. Conclusion: Although a temporal increase in the risk relationships of interest was not found, until additional research in this area is conducted, heavy alcohol use/AUDs cannot be ruled out as being a driving force behind the increasing rate of suicidal thoughts and behaviors in the US.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)721-726
Number of pages6
JournalSocial psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology
Volume57
Issue number4
Publication statusPublished - Apr 2022
Peer-reviewedYes

External IDs

PubMed 35032174

Keywords

Keywords

  • Alcohol use disorders, Heavy alcohol use, Risk relationship, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Temporal trend