title: Precipitating Circumstances of Suicide and Alcohol Intoxication Among U.S. Ethnic Groups.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Our goal was to assess the prevalence of 9 different types of precipitating circumstances among suicide decedents, and examine the association between circumstances and postmortem blood alcohol concentration (BAC ≥ 0.08 g/dl) across U.S. ethnic groups.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data come from the restricted 2003 to 2011 National Violent Death Reporting System, with postmortem information on 59,384 male and female suicide decedents for 17 U.S. states.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among men, precipitating circumstances statistically associated with a BAC ≥ 0.08 g/dl were physical health and job problems for Blacks, and experiencing a crisis, physical health problems, and intimate partner problem for Hispanics. Among women, the only precipitating circumstance associated with a BAC ≥ 0.08 g/dl was substance abuse problems other than alcohol for Blacks. The number of precipitating circumstances present before the suicide was negatively associated with a BAC ≥ 0.08 g/dl for Whites, Blacks, and Hispanics.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Selected precipitating circumstances were associated with a BAC ≥ 0.08 g/dl, and the strongest determinant of this level of alcohol intoxication prior to suicide among all ethnic groups was the presence of an alcohol problem.
authors.affiliation: Prevention Research Center, Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation, Oakland, California.
authors.forename: Raul
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Caetano
authors.affiliation: Luskin School of Public Affairs, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California.
authors.forename: Mark S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Kaplan
authors.affiliation: Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, Oregon.
authors.forename: Nathalie
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Huguet
authors.affiliation: VA VISN 2 Center of Excellence for Suicide Prevention, Canandaigua, New York.|Department of Psychiatry, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, New York.
authors.forename: Kenneth
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Conner
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon.
authors.forename: Bentson H
authors.initials: BH
authors.lastname: McFarland
authors.affiliation: Social & Epidemiological Research Department, Centre for Addiction & Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Norman
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Giesbrecht
authors.affiliation: Office of the Medical Investigator, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, New Mexico.
authors.forename: Kurt B
authors.initials: KB
authors.lastname: Nolte
mesh_terms: D000435:Alcoholic Intoxication / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000523:psychology*; D044383:Black People / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology; D003863:Depression / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D004651:Employment / Q000523:psychology; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011159:Population Surveillance; D013405:Suicide / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000523:psychology*; D014481:United States / Q000208:ethnology; D044465:White People / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology; D001741:Black or African American
keywords: Alcohol; National Violent Death Reporting System; Precipitating Circumstances; Race/Ethnicity; Suicide