Great Recession, Alcohol Intoxication and Suicide: Results from the National Violent Death Reporting System

Objectives: There is a large and growing body of evidence concerning the impact of contracting economies on suicide mortality risk; however, far less is known about the role acute alcohol consumption plays in the complex relationship between economic conditions and suicide. Therefore, the primary aim of this study was to compare postmortem blood alcohol content (BAC) levels among suicide decedents before (2003-07), during (2008-09), and after (2010-11) the recent Great Recession.

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.