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Table 4 Cross-state associations between suicide rates (total and method-specific) and household firearm ownership and antidepressants prescription rates, 2001-2005

From: Explaining geographic patterns of suicide in the US: the role of firearms and antidepressants

 

All suicide

Firearm suicide

Nonfirearm suicide

 

IRR*

95% CI

P-value

IRR*

95% CI

P-value

IRR*

95% CI

P-value

Crude analyses

         

NonTCA^:TCA ratio

0.85

(0.76, 0.95)

0.0040

0.69

(0.57, 0.84)

0.0002

1.07

(0.96, 1.18)

0.2270

Multivariate analyses

         

Household firearm ownership

1.29

(1.18, 1.40)

<.0001

1.67

(1.49, 1.88)

<.0001

1.04

(0.94, 1.16)

0.4441

NonTCA^:TCA ratio

1.02

(0.91, 1.14)

0.7462

1.05

(0.90, 1.22)

0.5392

1.02

(0.89, 1.17)

0.8198

% Population living in urban area

1.09

(1.01, 1.19)

0.0293

1.14

(1.02, 1.27)

0.0211

1.08

(0.98, 1.20)

0.1407

Median income

0.99

(0.95, 1.02)

0.4770

0.97

(0.93, 1.02)

0.2758

1.01

(0.96, 1.07)

0.6421

Unemployment rate

1.01

(0.98, 1.03)

0.6227

0.99

(0.96, 1.03)

0.6932

1.01

(0.98, 1.05)

0.5231

  1. *IRR for Household Firearm Ownership and Antidepressant Prescriptions are the relative increase in suicides for one standard deviation away from the mean rate.
  2. ^Non-TCA are primarily SSRIs (SNRIs constitute the second most commonly prescribed class).
  3. Abbreviations: IRR, Incidence Rate Ratio; CI, Confidence Intervals; TCA, Tricyclic Antidepressants.