The Effects of Alcohol on Suicide Rate in Russia

Abstract

High suicide rate in Russia and its profound fluctuations over the past decades have attracted considerable interest. Purpose: To estimate the aggregate ievei effect of alcohol on the suicide rate in Russia. Method: Trends in age-adjusted, sex-specific suicide and alcoholism mortality rate (as a proxy for alcohol consumption) from 1956 to 2005 in Russia were analyzed employing an ARIMA analysis in order to asses bivariate relationship between the two time series. Results: The results of the time series analysis indicates the presence of a statistically significant association between the two time series at zero lag for male (r=0,61; SE=0.142), and for female (r=0.44; SE=0.142). Conclusion: In conclusion, the present study replicates previous findings suggesting close aggregate level association between alcohol and suicide mortality in Russia. The outcome of this study provides indirect support for the hypothesis that alcohol played a crucial role in the fluctuation in suicide mortality rate in Russia during recent decades.