Completed Suicide and Marital Status According to the Italian Region of Origin

The Italian population in the last Italian census (October 2001) was used to estimate age-standardized mortality rates from suicide by marital status & natural causes. Rate ratios & 95% confidence intervals were calculated using married individuals as a reference. All analyses were conducted separately for men & women for 2000-2002. Logistic regression analysis was used to compare differences by marital status for suicide versus deaths from natural causes. Results show major inequalities in suicide rates in Italy which may derive from different socio-cultural backgrounds. Results support the notion that marital status may play a central role in influencing suicide. (43 refs.) JA