EMPLOYMENT STATUS INFLUENCES THE WEEKLY PATTERNS OF SUICIDE AMONG ALCOHOL MISUSERS

As part of the National Suicide Prevention Project in Finland, a natio nwide psychological autopsy study, all suicide victims (n = 1397) over a 12-month period were investigated concerning factors associated wit h any variation in suicide frequency between weekdays and weekends. In particular, employment status was expected to have influenced the wee kly pattern of alcohol misuse, and thereby to have caused clustering o f suicides at weekends among the employed. Among suicide victims who h ad misused alcohol, those in employment were significantly more likely to have committed suicide during the weekend that those without work (52% vs 34%, p < 0.001). In logistic regression analysis, employment w as the only independent variable significantly associated with suicide at the weekend. According to forensic chemical analysis, those classi fied as misusers had frequently used alcohol at the time of suicide, r egardless of the weekday, and slightly more often if employed. The clu stering of suicides at weekends among employed alcohol misusers is pro bably explained by a weekly pattern in the use of alcohol, which sugge sts that besides the established risk factors for suicide among alcoho l misusers, the act of using alcohol per se also contributes to the su icidal act.