Alcohol as a factor of the gender gradient of the level of suicides in Russia

Despite the greater prevalence of anxiety-depressive disorders among women, and the fact that women are more likely to make suicide attempts, in most countries of the world men tend to commit suicide more often. The so-called gender paradox of suicidal behavior has not received an exhaustive explanation up to the present time. One of the factors of a high gender gradient in the level of suicides in Russia can be a high level of alcohol consumption. The purpose of this study was to test the alcohol hypothesis of the gender gradient of suicide rates in Russia. Materials and methods: In the comparative aspect, the dynamics of the level of alcohol consumption and the dynamics of the gender gradient of suicide rates (the ratio of the level of suicides among men and women) in Russia in the period from 1980 to 2010 was studied. The relationship between the dynamics of alcohol consumption and the gender gradient of suicide rates was estimated using the autoregressive-integrated moving average method (ARIMAM). Results: According to the results of the analysis, the overall level of alcohol consumption is statistically significant with the gender gradient of the suicide level in all age groups. An assessment of the alcoholic fraction showed that the contribution of the alcohol factor to the gender gradient of suicide rates varies from 26.3% in the age group of 30-44 to 47.2% in the age group of 45-59 years. Conclusions: The presented data speak in favor of the fact that alcohol is a key factor in the high gender gradient of the suicide mortality rate, as well as sharp fluctuations of this indicator over the last decades in Russia.