Suicide and marital status in the United States, 1991-1996: is widowhood a risk factor?
OBJECTIVE
This study examined whether marital status is associated with suicide rates among various age, sex, and racial groups, in particular with widowhood among young adults of both sexes.


METHODS
US national suicide mortality data were compiled for the years 1991-1996, and suicide rates were broken down by race, 5-year age groups, sex, and marital status.


RESULTS
Data on suicide rates indicated an approximately 17-fold increase among young widowed White men (aged 20-34 years), a 9-fold increase among young widowed African American men, and lesser increases among young widowed White women compared with their married counterparts.


CONCLUSIONS
National data suggest that as many as 1 in 400 White and African American widowed men aged 20-35 years will die by suicide in any given year (compared with 1 in 9000 married men in the general population).
Catholic University of America, Washington, DC, USA.
Jason B
JB
Luoma
Jane L
JL
Pearson
D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017533:Marital Status / Q000208:ethnology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011634:Public Health; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D013405:Suicide / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D044465:White People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D017805:Widowhood / Q000208:ethnology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*