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Social Factors in Suicide

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

Martti E. Heikkinen ,
Erkki T. Isometsä ,
Mauri J. Marttunen ,
Hillevi M. Aro  and
Jouko K. Lönnqvist
Martti E. Heikkinen*
Affiliation:
Department of Mental Health, National Public Health Institute, and Department of Psychiatry, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
Erkki T. Isometsä
Affiliation:
Department of Mental Health, National Public Health Institute, Helsinki, Finland
Mauri J. Marttunen
Affiliation:
Department of Mental Health, National Public Health Institute, and Department of Psychiatry, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
Hillevi M. Aro
Affiliation:
Department of Mental Health, National Public Health Institute, Helsinki, and Department of Public Health, University of Tampere, Tampere, Finland
Jouko K. Lönnqvist
Affiliation:
Department of Mental Health, National Public Health Institute, Helsinki, Finland
*
Dr Martti Heikkinen, Department of Mental Health, National Public Health Institute, Mannerheimintie 166, FIN-00300 Helsinki, Finland
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Abstract

Background

The study objective was to investigate the age-related variation of social factors in suicide.

Method

Age-related variations in marital status, living arrangements, employment and social interaction were investigated in an entire 12-month suicide population in Finland (n = 1067); these findings were compared with appropriate census data.

Results

Several social factors varied across age groups among suicides, with some age-related sex differences. Compared with the general population, the suicides were more commonly never married (especially men aged 30–39 years), divorced, and widowed (especially women aged 60–69 years); living alone was more frequent among the suicides, as was living with parents among male suicides aged 25–39 years. A history of psychiatric admission was especially common among young male suicides who had never married or were living with parents. Living alone was particularly frequent among middle-aged male suicides who had misused alcohol.

Conclusions

While most of the age-related variation in social factors found in suicide seems to parallel the natural variation of these factors in the general population, some social findings in suicide might be related to the victims' psychopathology and excessive alcohol use.

Type
Papers
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 167 , Issue 6 , December 1995 , pp. 747 - 753
Copyright
Copyright © 1995 The Royal College of Psychiatrists 

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