ALCOHOL AND SUICIDE - THE PORTUGUESE EXPERIENCE

An analysis of regional (18 regions) and temporal (1931-89) covariatio n of suicide rates and indicators of alcohol use and abuse in Portugal is reported. In the time series analysis, a positive relationship was found. An increase in per capita alcohol consumption of one litre is accompanied by a simultaneous increase in the male suicide rate of 1.9 per cent. This is comparable to what has been reported for France and Denmark, but considerably less than that found in Norway, Sweden and Hungary. In the regional data, there was a substantial negative correl ation between the variables. However, after controlling for religious and family integration, the latter correlation became small and insign ificant but still negative. A possible explanation is suggested for th e different outcomes of the two analyses.