Impact of Alcohol Policies on Suicidal Behavior: A Systematic Literature Review

Kairi Kõlves, Kate M. Chitty, Rachmania Wardhani, Airi Värnik, Diego de Leo and Katrina Witt
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Kairi Kõlves: Australian Institute for Suicide Research and Prevention, WHO Collaborating Centre for Research and Training in Suicide Prevention, School of Applied Psychology, Griffith University, Brisbane, QLD 4122, Australia
Kate M. Chitty: Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology Research Group, Discipline of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2008, Australia
Rachmania Wardhani: Australian Institute for Suicide Research and Prevention, WHO Collaborating Centre for Research and Training in Suicide Prevention, School of Applied Psychology, Griffith University, Brisbane, QLD 4122, Australia
Airi Värnik: School of Natural Sciences and Health, Tallinn University, 10120 Tallinn, Estonia
Diego de Leo: Australian Institute for Suicide Research and Prevention, WHO Collaborating Centre for Research and Training in Suicide Prevention, School of Applied Psychology, Griffith University, Brisbane, QLD 4122, Australia
Katrina Witt: Orygen, Melbourne, VIC 3052, Australia

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 19, 1-26

Abstract: Alcohol consumption has been found to be related to suicidal behavior at the individual and population level, but there is lack of literature reviews on the effect of alcohol policies on suicidal behavior. Therefore, the aim of the current study is to conduct a systematic literature review of the impact of alcohol policies at the population level on suicidal behavior and ideation. We searched the Cochrane CENTRAL, Cochrane DARE, EMBASE, Medline, ProQuest, PsycINFO, PubMed, SCOPUS, and Web of Science electronic databases in March 2019. Papers analyzing alcohol policies limiting alcohol use and studying suicidal behaviors as an outcome measure were included; we identified 19 papers. Although the methods and effect sizes varied substantially in the studies, reducing alcohol often led to reduction in suicidal behavior. Ecological-level studies predominantly investigated the effect of restrictions on alcohol availability and increased cost of alcohol, and the majority presented a reduction in suicides across Western and Eastern Europe, as well as the US. The majority of studies were rated as unclear risk of bias for a number of domains due to a lack of clear reporting. Policies targeting harmful alcohol consumption may contribute towards a reduction in suicidal behavior at the population level.

Keywords: alcohol policy; suicidal behavior; suicide prevention; systematic literature review (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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