Distal risk factors for suicidal behavior in alcoholics: replications and new findings

Background: To examine distal risk factors for suicidal behavior in alcoholics. Methods: Two-hundred and eighty alcoholics were interviewed and completed the Childhood Trauma (CTQ) and Eysenck Personality Questionnaires (EPQ). Results: One-hundred and twenty-one of the two-hundred and eighty alcoholics had attempted suicide (42.9%). Significantly more of the attempters were female and had a family history of suicidal behavior. Alcoholics who had attempted were significantly younger and had significantly higher CTQ scores for emotional abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional neglect and physical neglect. Attempters were significantly more introverted and neurotic on the EPQ. Significantly more alcoholics who had attempted suicide had received antidepressant medication. Limitation: Other possible distal and proximal suicide risk factors were not examined. Conclusion: These results suggest that the suicide risk factor model may be applicable to suicidal behavior in alcoholics. Distal risk factors like childhood trauma, family history of suicide, and introversion may increase an alcoholics suicide risk when they experience a proximal or trigger factor like depression. (C) 2002 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.