Table 1.
Sociodemographic, Medical, and Psychiatric Profiles of Coroner's Court Records: Suicides With Gambling Behavior and Gambling-Related Debt Versus Suicides With Gambling Behavior Without Gambling-Related Debt Versus Suicides Without Gambling Behaviora
| Variable | Gambling-Related Suicides With Related Debt (n = 110) | Gambling-Related Suicides Without Related Debt (n = 123) | Non–Gambling-Related Suicides (n = 968) | χ2b | df | P |
| Male | 81.8 | 80.5 | 62.1 | 30.3 | 2 | < .001 |
| Age, y | 26.6 | 4 | < .001 | |||
| ≤ 29 | 12.7 | 10.6 | 18.3 | |||
| 30–49 | 59.1 | 40.7 | 35.8 | |||
| ≥ 50 | 28.2 | 48.8 | 45.9 | |||
| Marital status | 12.1 | 4 | < .05 | |||
| Single | 29.4 | 26.5 | 34.4 | |||
| Married/cohabited | 60.6 | 58.1 | 47.2 | |||
| Divorced/widowed | 10.1 | 15.4 | 18.4 | |||
| Employment and living status | 46.1 | 4 | < .001 | |||
| Employed | 52.3 | 37.7 | 28.4 | |||
| Unemployed | 38.5 | 32.0 | 32.5 | |||
| Economically inactive | 9.2 | 30.3 | 39.1 | |||
| Lived alone | 24.5 | 27.0 | 22.2 | 1.6 | 2 | NS |
| Suicide method | 48.1 | 6 | < .001 | |||
| Carbon monoxide poisoning | 49.1 | 36.6 | 21.7 | |||
| Jumping | 30.0 | 37.4 | 48.3 | |||
| Hanging | 15.5 | 17.1 | 19.5 | |||
| Other | 5.5 | 8.9 | 10.4 | |||
| Recorded psychiatric and medical problems | ||||||
| Diagnosed psychiatric problems in lifetime | 10.9 | 21.1 | 33.1 | 28.1 | 2 | < .001 |
| Received psychiatric treatment in lifetime | 12.7 | 21.1 | 34.0 | 26.9 | 2 | < .001 |
| Received psychiatric treatment at time of death | 5.5 | 17.1 | 25.1 | 24.2 | 2 | < .001 |
| Medical problems | 24.7 | 38.3 | 51.2 | 29.1 | 2 | < .001 |
| Psychosocial life events | ||||||
| Family problems in the past year | 48.2 | 45.5 | 45.5 | 0.3 | 2 | NS |
| Relationship issues in the past year | 10.9 | 10.6 | 10.4 | 0.0 | 2 | NS |
| Past suicide attempts | 26.4 | 29.3 | 28.1 | 0.3 | 2 | NS |
| Bereavement | 1.8 | 6.5 | 10.1 | 9.4 | 2 | < .05 |
| Criminal records | 6.4 | 8.9 | 8.3 | 0.6 | 2 | NS |
| History of drug use | 13.2 | 29.7 | 33.1 | 6.4 | 2 | < .05 |
| History of alcohol abuse | 16.9 | 5.2 | 6.5 | 9.0 | 2 | < .01 |
| Financial issues related to gambling | ||||||
| Evidence of debt (including non–gambling related) | 99.1 | 48.5 | 22.2 | 252.0 | 2 | < .001 |
| Types of gambling (multiple items) | ||||||
| Casino in Macau | 30.9 | 3.3 | NA | 32.5 | 1 | < .001 |
| Horse racing | 43.6 | 48.8 | NA | 0.6 | 1 | NS |
| Soccer gambling | 18.2 | 5.7 | NA | 8.8 | 1 | < .01 |
| Mahjong | 38.2 | 35.8 | NA | 0.2 | 1 | NS |
| Involved with a loan shark | 18.9 | 0.8 | 0.1 | 186.1 | 1 | < .001 |
| Involved with a legal financial institution | 21.6 | 4.2 | 1.0 | 111.4 | 1 | < .001 |
a
All values are presented as percentages unless otherwise indicated.
b
Pearson χ2 tests for categorical variables.
Abbreviation: NS = nonsignificant at P > .05.