Solo living may predispose people with depression, anxiety to suicide

Living alone appears to be associated with an increased risk of suicide, particularly among people with depression or anxiety, according to a population-based cohort study from Korea.

Researchers used data from the Korean National Health Insurance Service database. They identified 3,764,279 adults (mean age 47.2 years, 55.8 percent male) who participated in the General Health Screening Program in Korea in 2009. Those with incomplete data and those who died by suicide within the first year were excluded.

Of the adults included in the study, 112,460 (3.0 percent) had depression, 232,305 (6.2 percent) had anxiety, and 319,993 (8.5 percent) lived alone (≥5 years).

Multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression models showed that the risk of death by suicide was more than sixfold higher among adults who had both depression and anxiety and lived alone than among those who had neither depression nor anxiety and lived with others (adjusted hazard ratio [AHR], 6.58, 95 percent confidence interval [CI], 4.86–8.92).

Living alone with only depression was associated with a nearly fourfold risk increase (AHR, 3.91, 95 percent CI, 2.96–5.16), while living alone with only anxiety was associated with a nearly twofold risk increase (AHR, 1.90, 95 percent CI, 1.48–2.43).

The associations were pronounced among middle-aged individuals (age 40–64 years) and men.

The findings underscore the importance of considering living arrangements in suicide risk assessments for individuals with depression or anxiety or both.