Prevalence and Association of Suicidal Ideation and High Risk Drinking in Men and Women: Results from a Representative German Household Survey

Abstract

Background: Alcohol abuse and suicide are significant public health problems. Specifically, more than three million people die each year from alcohol abuse and 700,000 from suicide. Research indicates that alcohol abuse is associated with suicidality, and that there are significant gender differences in both. By means of a large representative population sample, this study quantifies the associations between suicidal ideation and alcohol misuse in the German population. Methods: Based on a survey of 2,513 individuals from 2015, prevalence estimates and logistic regression models were used to estimate the association between suicidal ideation (i.e., past-year suicidal ideation according to the Suicidal Behavior Questionnaire Revised [SBQ-R] and alcohol consumption (i.e., past year high-risk drinking according to the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test [AUDIT-C]). Results: High-risk drinking (24.78%) and suicidal ideation (5.09%) were highly prevalent in this representative German population sample. These estimates differed significantly between men and women: Men were more likely to report high-risk drinking (30.14%) compared to women (20.56%), while a greater proportion of women (5.95%) reported suicidal ideation when compared to men (4.00%). Moreover, the association of suicidal ideation and high-risk drinking was weaker in women (OR = 1.64 CI 95% [1.03–2.62]) than in men (OR = 5.62 CI 95% [2.72–11.60]). Conclusion: The high prevalence of suicidal ideation and high-risk drinking in women and underscores the necessity for low-level interventions and public health initiatives aimed at prevention and intervention against the escalation of high-risk drinking and suicidal behavior. Prevention efforts should consider gender-specific patterns of risk.