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The temporal relationship between marriage and risk for suicidal ideation
Mallory Stephenson1, Elizabeth Prom-Wormley2, Séverine Lannoy1
1Department of Psychiatry, Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics, Virginia Commonwealth University, United States of America.
Journal of Affective Disorders
|October 6, 2023
Summary
Marriage generally protects against suicidal thoughts. However, for individuals over 30, the initial 10 years of marriage may increase suicide risk, especially for women, warranting clinical attention.
Area of Science:
- Sociology
- Psychiatry
- Public Health
Background:
- Marriage is a known protective factor against suicidality.
- The impact of time elapsed since marriage on this protective effect is not well understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between marriage, time since marital transition, and suicidal ideation.
- To determine if this relationship differs by age and sex.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from 15,870 participants in the Collaborative Psychiatric Epidemiology Surveys.
- Employed Cox proportional hazards models to analyze marriage duration (0-5, 6-10, 11+ years) and suicidal ideation.
- Stratified analyses by sex and age (<30 vs. 30+ years) to account for potential effect modifiers.
Main Results:
- Marriage was associated with a lower risk of suicidal ideation across all ages and sexes.
- For individuals under 30, marriage consistently reduced suicide risk regardless of duration.
- For individuals 30 and older, the first 10 years of marriage showed an increased risk of suicidal ideation, particularly in females.
Conclusions:
- While marriage generally offers protection against suicidal ideation, the early years (0-10) of marriage pose an elevated risk for individuals aged 30 and above.
- This elevated risk in the initial decade of marriage, especially for females, suggests a need for targeted clinical outreach.
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