Alcohol use disorder linked to suicide mortality in men, women

People with alcohol use disorder (AUD) have greater odds of dying by suicide, and this association is consistent in men and women, according to the results of a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Researchers searched multiple online databases for studies in which the sex-specific association between AUD and suicide mortality was explored. Risk of bias was assessed by study design, and categorical random-effects meta-analyses were used to obtain sex-specific pooled estimates of suicide mortality risk in relation to AUD. Methodological moderators (ie, study design and comparator group) were evaluated using sex-stratified meta-regressions.

The literature search yielded a total of 16,347 unique records, of which 24 studies were included in the meta-analysis. The studies involved 37,870,699 participants (59.7 percent male) whose age ranged from 15 years to 65 years or older.

In sex-specific meta-regression models, study design (ie, longitudinal vs cross-sectional study design) factored in the observed association between AUD and suicide mortality for both male participants (log odds ratio, 0.68, 95 percent confidence interval [CI], 0.08–1.28; p=0.03) and female participants (log odds ratio, 1.41, 95 percent CI, 0.57–2.24; p<0.001).

Pooled data from longitudinal studies showed that AUD was associated with twofold greater odds of dying by suicide among male participants (odds ratio, 2.68, 95 percent CI, 1.86–3.87; I2=99 percent; n=14) and female participants (odds ratio, 2.39, 95 percent CI, 1.50–3.81; I2=90 percent; n = 11).

The findings highlight the importance of identifying and treating AUD as part of a comprehensive suicide prevention strategy.