Table 1.
Univariate conditional logistic regression models of socio-demographic and other background risk factors for suicidea
| Risk factor | Cases n (%) |
Controls n (%) |
Odds Ratio (95% CI) |
p-value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Socio-demographic factors | ||||
| Marital status:b | ||||
| (i) Single | 60 (31.7) | 49 (25.9) | 3.29 (1.42–7.64) | 0.006 |
| (ii) Separated/divorced/widowed | 63 (33.3) | 33 (17.5) | 3.46 (1.90–6.30) | < 0.001 |
| Non-white ethnic origin | 5 (2.6) | 16 (8.2) | 0.21 (0.06–0.75) | 0.02 |
| Living alone | 55 (28.4) | 49 (25.3) | 1.18 (0.74–1.86) | 0.49 |
| No current relationship | 84 (45.7) | 46 (25.0) | 3.53 (1.99–6.27) | < 0.001 |
| Responsible for child aged < 18 yrs. | 34 (17.8) | 47 (24.6) | 0.46 (0.22–0.94) | < 0.001 |
| Not been out socially in last month | 96 (52.7) | 33 (18.1) | 4.94 (2.89–8.45) | < 0.001 |
| Practising a religion | 30 (15.6) | 67 (34.9) | 0.31 (0.18–0.54) | < 0.001 |
| No education beyond age 16 yrs. | 46 (23.7) | 15 (7.7) | 5.43 (2.42–12.16) | < 0.001 |
| Improved standard of living since 1990 | 6 (3.2) | 29 (15.6) | 0.08 (0.02–0.34) | = 0.001 |
| Unemployed or long-term sick/disabled | 33 (17.0) | 6 (3.1) | 7.75 (2.74–21.95) | < 0.001 |
| Ever been unemployed since 1990c | 52 (40.0) | 27 (20.8) | 2.67 (1.47–4.83) | < 0.001 |
| Concerns over work prospectsc | 84 (68.9) | 35 (28.7) | 5.90 (3.02–11.53) | < 0.001 |
| Other background factors | ||||
| Born prematurely | 32 (20.6) | 30 (19.4) | 1.09 (0.62–1.91) | 0.77 |
| Suicide by 1st degree relative | 31 (16.4) | 6 (3.2) | 6.00 (2.33–15.46) | < 0.001 |
| Adopted | 12 (6.2) | 6 (3.1) | 2.00 (0.75–5.33) | 0.17 |
| Ever ran away as a child | 25 (13.4) | 9 (4.8) | 3.00 (1.35–6.68) | 0.007 |
| Ever lived in a children's home | 6 (3.1) | 10 (5.2) | 0.60 (0.22–1.65) | 0.32 |
| Abusive experiences in childhoodd | 31 (16.8) | 33 (17.8) | 0.93 (0.54–1.58) | 0.79 |
a Pair-wise analyses conducted on 194 matched case-control sets, except for: marital status (189/194 = 97.4%); no current relationship (184/194 = 94.8%); responsible for child < 18 yrs. (191/194 = 98.5%); not been out socially in last month (182/194 = 93.8%); practising a religion (192/194 = 99.0%); improved standard of living post-1990s (186/194 = 95.9%); born prematurely (155/194 = 79.9%); suicide by 1st degree relative (189/194 = 97.4%); ever ran away as a child (187/194 = 96.4%); ever lived in a children's home (193/194 = 99.5%); abusive experiences in childhood (185/194 = 95.4%)
b Reference category is married/cohabiting
c Analysis of two explanatory variables based on smaller number of matched case-control sets, due to ineligibility according to age: 'ever been unemployed since 1990' (N = 130 sets); 'concerns over work prospects' (N = 122 sets)
d Includes sexual, physical or emotional abuse during childhood