Sex differences in binge drinking and suicide attempts in a nationally representative sample

Abstract

ObjectivePrevalence of suicide continues to present a major public health problem, particularly among women. Identifying risk factors for suicide is vital to reduce the number of suicide deaths per year. Alcohol use is a well-known risk factor for suicidal behavior, but the association between binge drinking and suicide attempts across genders is less clear. MethodsThe current study used combined 2008–2014 National Survey on Drug Use and Health data (n = 269,078) to examine the association between binge drinking and suicidal ideation and suicide attempts across sex. ResultsLogistic regression analyses revealed that binge drinking was associated with suicide attempts in females (OR = 1.37, 95% CI: 1.09–1.73) but not in males (OR = 1.07, 95% CI: 0.80–1.43). Binge drinking was not associated with suicidal ideation in either males or females. ConclusionsIdentifying and addressing binge drinking in women may be useful as part of a suicide prevention strategy.