Suicide in married couples in Sweden: Is the risk greater in same-sex couples?
Open accessAbstract
Minority sexual orientation is a predictor of suicide ideation and attempts, though its association with suicide mortality is less clear. We capitalize on Sweden's extensively linked databases, to investigate whether, among married individuals, same-sex marriage is associated with suicide. Using a population-based register design, we analyzed suicide risk among same-sex married women and men (n = 6456), as compared to different-sex married women and men (n = 1181723) in Sweden. We selected all newly partnered or married individuals in the intervening time between 1/1/1996 and 12/31/2009 and followed them with regard to suicide until 12/31/2011. Multivariate Poisson regression was used to calculate adjusted incidence risk ratios (IRR) with 95 % confidence intervals (CI). The risk of suicide was higher among same-sex married individuals as compared to different-sex married individuals (IRR 2.7, 95 % CI 1.5-4.8), after adjustment for time at risk and socioeconomic confounding. Sex-stratified analyses showed a tentatively elevated risk for same-sex married women (IRR 2.5, 95 % CI 0.8-7.7) as compared to different-sex married women. Among same-sex married men the suicide risk was nearly three-fold greater as compared to different-sex married (IRR 2.895 % CI 1.5-5.5). This holds true also after adjustment for HIV status. Even in a country with a comparatively tolerant climate regarding homosexuality such as Sweden, same-sex married individuals evidence a higher risk for suicide than other married individuals.
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Important social and economic factors associated with suicide include relationship breakdown, low socioeconomic position, job loss, low income, debt, poor social stability, stringent sociocultural norms, economic turmoil, poor family connectedness, being single, being in a LGBT+ group or being bullied.
“Important social and economic factors that are associated with suicide include relationship breakdown, low socioeconomic position, job loss, low income and debt. In addition, other social factors that are associated with suicide include poor social stability, stringent sociocultural norms, economic turmoil, socioeconomic position (having poor family connectedness, being single, having a low income”
From Suicide and suicide risk (2019) · cites this paper as [119]
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- Authors
- Björkenstam, C., Andersson, G., Dalman, C., Cochran, S., & Kosidou, K.
- Affiliations
- University of California, Los Angeles (US)
- Stockholm University (SE)
- Karolinska Institutet (SE)
- Corresponding author
- Björkenstam, Charlotte
- Venue
- European Journal of Epidemiology
- Published
- 2016-05-11
- Volume
- 31
- Issue
- 7
- Pages
- 685-690
- ISSN
- 0393-2990 (ISSN-L)
- 1573-7284
- PMC
- PMC6889060
- OpenAlex
- W2357195276
- Cited by
- 29
- References
- 33
- Citations by year
- 2025: 2 · 2024: 1 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 6 · 2020: 6 · 2019: 5 · 2018: 2 · 2017: 2
- FWCI
- 4.02
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Licence
- www.springer.com/tdm (tdm)
- Locations
- European Journal of Epidemiology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- Funders
- Vetenskapsrådet (340-2013-5164)
- Svenska Sällskapet för Medicinsk Forskning
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Suicide and Self-Harm Studies
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › LGBTQ Health, Identity, and Policy
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Homicide, Infanticide, and Child Abuse
- Keywords
- suicide, same-sex marriage, sexual orientation, married couples, HIV status, sexual minority health, Sweden
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Family Characteristics, Female, Homosexuality, Humans, Male, Marriage, Middle Aged, Surveys and Questionnaires, Registries, Risk Factors, Sexual Behavior, Social Environment, Suicide, Suicide, Attempted, Sweden, Cohort Studies, Incidence, Heterosexuality, Young Adult
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