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Alcohol and the Risk of Railway Suicide

Author

Listed:
  • Dorota Lasota

    (Department of Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology, Medical University of Warsaw, Banacha 1b Street, 02097 Warsaw, Poland)

  • Ahmed Al-Wathinani

    (Department of Emergency Medical Services, Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz College for Emergency Medical Services, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia)

  • Paweł Krajewski

    (Department of Forensic Medicine, Medical University of Warsaw, 50368 Warsaw, Poland)

  • Dagmara Mirowska-Guzel

    (Department of Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology, Medical University of Warsaw, Banacha 1b Street, 02097 Warsaw, Poland)

  • Krzysztof Goniewicz

    (Department of Aviation Security, Military University of Aviation, 08521 Dęblin, Poland)

  • Attila J. Hertelendy

    (Department of Information Systems and Business Analytics, College of Business, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33174, USA)

  • Riyadh A. Alhazmi

    (Department of Emergency Medical Services, Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz College for Emergency Medical Services, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia)

  • Witold Pawłowski

    (Department of Emergency Medicine, Medical University of Lublin, 20081 Lublin, Poland)

  • Amir Khorram-Manesh

    (Institute of Clinical Sciences, Department of Surgery, Sahlgrenska Academy, Gothenburg University, 41345 Gothenburg, Sweden
    Department of Development and Research, Armed Forces Center for Defense Medicine, Västra Frölunda, 42676 Gothenburg, Sweden)

  • Mariusz Goniewicz

    (Department of Emergency Medicine, Medical University of Lublin, 20081 Lublin, Poland)

Abstract

Suicide is one of the ten most common causes of death in the world. Of all deaths from suicide, 22% can be attributed to the use of alcohol, which means that every fifth suicide would not occur if alcohol were not consumed by the population. People under the influence of alcohol choose more radical and effective methods of dying by suicide, e.g., throwing themselves under a moving vehicle, such as a train. The presented analysis aimed to determine important risk factors affecting railway suicide in Poland and their relation to the state of alcohol intoxication of the victims, and the relationship between ethyl alcohol consumption and the phenomenon of suicide. Documentation obtained from the Department of Forensic Medicine at the Medical University of Warsaw, in the form of death registers and forensic medical records concerning examination and autopsy, was analyzed. This made it possible to identify suicide victims from among pedestrian victims of railway accidents recorded during the period under study. The research was carried out using unidimensional and multidimensional statistical analyses with IBM SPSS Statistics, version 25. Sober suicide victims were statistically significantly older than victims under the influence of alcohol; alcohol concentration was correlated with the age of the victims—the older the victims were, the higher the alcohol concentration. A significantly higher number of deaths attributed to suicide by sober victims was observed in autumn compared to other seasons. Multidimensional analysis showed a statistically significant effect of age and season on the probability of dying by suicide under the influence of alcohol—this probability decreases with the age of the victims and is also significantly lower in autumn. The observed relationship between age and the presence of alcohol in suicide victims can be the cause of railway suicides. Knowledge of the mechanisms of seasonal variability of suicidal behavior can help to develop effective strategies to prevent railway suicides. It is necessary to improve the system of reporting railway suicides, as only reliable statistics provide the possibility of assessing both the scale of the problem and the effectiveness of actions taken.

Suggested Citation

  • Dorota Lasota & Ahmed Al-Wathinani & Paweł Krajewski & Dagmara Mirowska-Guzel & Krzysztof Goniewicz & Attila J. Hertelendy & Riyadh A. Alhazmi & Witold Pawłowski & Amir Khorram-Manesh & Mariusz Goniew, 2020. "Alcohol and the Risk of Railway Suicide," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(19), pages 1-10, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:17:y:2020:i:19:p:7003-:d:418985
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Witold Pawłowski & Dorota Lasota & Mariusz Goniewicz & Patryk Rzońca & Krzysztof Goniewicz & Paweł Krajewski, 2019. "The Effect of Ethyl Alcohol upon Pedestrian Trauma Sustained in Traffic Crashes," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(8), pages 1-8, April.
    2. Dorota Lasota & Witold Pawłowski & Paweł Krajewski & Anna Staniszewska & Krzysztof Goniewicz & Mariusz Goniewicz, 2019. "Seasonality of Suicides among Victims Who Are under the Influence of Alcohol," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(15), pages 1-9, August.
    3. Silke Bachmann, 2018. "Epidemiology of Suicide and the Psychiatric Perspective," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(7), pages 1-23, July.
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    Cited by:

    1. Dorota Lasota & Dagmara Mirowska-Guzel & Krzysztof Goniewicz, 2021. "Analysis of Suicide Methods and Substances Influencing the State of Consciousness of Their Victims in Poland," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(9), pages 1-12, May.
    2. Zizheng Guo & Zhenqi Chen & Jingyu Zhang & Qiaofeng Guo & Chuanning He & Yongliang Zhao, 2022. "Characteristics of Train–Pedestrian Collisions in Southwest China, 2011–2020," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(10), pages 1-19, May.

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