Citation

Demsar LO, Zaletel M, Marusic A. Psychiatr. Danub. 2006; 18(Suppl 1): 45.

Affiliation

Institute of Public Health of the Republic of Slovenia, Trubarjeva 2, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia. lucija.demsar@ivz-rs.si.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2006, Facultas Universitatis Studiorum Zagrabiensis - Danube Symposion of Psychiatry)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

16963914

Abstract

Suicide rates have been reported as higher for the unmarried. The objective of the present study was to explore whether being divorced and widowed represent a vulnerability or a life event type of risk factor for suicide behaviour or both. Vulnerability is defined as an ongoing risk factor, whereas life event is considered as a point risk factor. We employed Central Population Register database and Slovene National Mortality database to compare all married, divorced and widowed suicide victims in the year 2003 with a three times bigger sample of community controls, matched for age, sex, regionality of residence and marital status. The two samples were compared for duration of the recent marital status change (of being divorced, widowed or married). If the duration of being married is longer, and the durations of being widowed or divorced are shorter in the suicide sample, we will conclude that marital status most probably does not only act as a vulnerability, but also as a life event type of risk factor. The study is still pending and results will be presented later in more detail.

Language: en