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Alcohol Policies and Suicide: A Review of the Literature
Author(s) -
Xuan Ziming,
Naimi Timothy S.,
Kaplan Mark S.,
Bagge Courtney L.,
Few Lauren R.,
Maisto Stephen,
Saitz Richard,
Freeman Robert
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
alcoholism: clinical and experimental research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.267
H-Index - 153
eISSN - 1530-0277
pISSN - 0145-6008
DOI - 10.1111/acer.13203
Subject(s) - per capita , suicide prevention , poison control , population , injury prevention , human factors and ergonomics , medicine , environmental health , occupational safety and health , alcohol , psychology , biochemistry , chemistry , pathology
Both intoxication and chronic heavy alcohol use are associated with suicide. There is extensive population‐level evidence linking per capita alcohol consumption with suicide. While alcohol policies can reduce excessive alcohol consumption, the relationship between alcohol policies and suicide warrants a critical review of the literature. This review summarizes the associations between various types of alcohol policies and suicide, both in the United States and internationally, as presented in English‐language literature published between 1999 and 2014. Study designs, methodological challenges, and limitations in ascertaining the associations are discussed. Because of the substantial between‐states variation in alcohol policies, U.S. ‐based studies contributed substantially to the literature. Repeated cross‐sectional designs at both the ecological level and decedent level were common among U.S. ‐based studies. Non‐U.S. studies often used time series data to evaluate pre–post comparisons of a hybrid set of policy changes. Although inconsistency remained, the published literature in general supported the protective effect of restrictive alcohol policies on reducing suicide as well as the decreased level of alcohol involvement among suicide decedents. Common limitations included measurement and selection bias and a focus on effects of a limited number of alcohol policies without accounting for other alcohol policies. This review summarizes a number of studies that suggest restrictive alcohol policies may contribute to suicide prevention on a general population level and to a reduction of alcohol involvement among suicide deaths.