Alcohol consumption and gender gap in suicide mortality in Belarus

Across most countries, suicide rates are significantly higher for men compared to women, while women typically have higher rate of suicidal attempts. The gender difference in the suicide rates is particularly large in the Eastern European countries. There is suggestive evidence of a crucial role of alcohol in explanation of this phenomenon. Objective: In present study we will test the hypothesis of the close aggregate level link between alcohol consumption and gender difference in suicide mortality rates in Belarus using data on sex-specific suicide rates and alcohol consumption per capita between 1980 and 2015. Method: Time-series analytical modeling techniques (ARIMA) were used to examine the relation between the gender gap in suicide mortality and trends in alcohol consumption per capita. Results: According to the results of time-series analysis, alcohol consumption is a statistically significant factor associated with gender gap in suicide mortality in Belarus, implying that a 1-litre increase in consumption per capita is associated with an increase in the difference between male and female suicide mortality rates by 6,5%. The results of the analysis also suggest that 58% of the difference in suicide mortality between males and females in Belarus could be attributed to alcohol. Conclusions: The outcomes of this study provide indirect support for the hypothesis that alcohol is a major contributor to the high gender gap in suicide mortality and its dramatic fluctuations in Belarus during the last few decades.