Alcohol as a Potential Predictor of East-West Gradient in the Suicide Rates in Europe
Razvodovsky YE, Kandrychyn SV.
Background: Alcohol abuse is a risk factor for suicidal behavior. Until now, there are no convincing explanations for the East-West gap in the suicide rates in Europe.
Objective: To assess the role of alcohol as a potential predictor of the gradient of suicide rates in Europe.
Materials and Methods: The analysis was carried out using the indicators of the WHO database selected for the period from 1990 to 2020 (suicide mortality rate, alcohol-related mortality rate).
Results: The suicide mortality closely correlates with the alcohol-related mortality in Western and Eastern European countries. In addition, the East West gradient in the suicide rates closely correlates with the East-West gradient in the alcohol-related mortality rate.
Conclusions: These findings confirm the existing idea that alcohol makes a significant contribution to the burden of suicide mortality in the European region. These results also suggest that alcohol is a key predictor of the East-West gap in suicide rates.
