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Substance Use and Suicidal Behaviors Among Young Adults

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  • Sara Markowitz
  • Pinka Chatterji
  • Robert Kaestner
  • Dhaval Dave

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to examine the causal impact of alcohol and illicit drug use on suicidal behaviors among college students. Every year, more American youth die from suicide than from all leading natural causes of death combined. Substance use has been identified as a leading risk factor in suicidal behaviors. We use instrumental variables to estimate a structural model of suicidal thoughts and attempts. A reduced form equation is also estimated which directly relates the determinants of alcohol and drug use to suicidal behaviors. Data come from the Core Institute's Alcohol and Drug Surveys of College Students. The results are consistent with a causal mechanism from alcohol and illicit drug consumption to suicide thoughts and attempts.

Suggested Citation

  • Sara Markowitz & Pinka Chatterji & Robert Kaestner & Dhaval Dave, 2002. "Substance Use and Suicidal Behaviors Among Young Adults," NBER Working Papers 8810, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:8810
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Sara Markowitz, 2001. "The Role of Alcohol and Drug Consumption in Determining Physical Fights and Weapon Carrying by Teenagers," Eastern Economic Journal, Eastern Economic Association, vol. 27(4), pages 409-432, Fall.
    2. Felts, W.M. & Chenier, T. & Barnes, R., 1992. "Drug use and suicide ideation and behavior among North Carolina public school students," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 82(6), pages 870-872.
    3. Saffer, Henry & Chaloupka, Frank, 1999. "The Demand for Illicit Drugs," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 37(3), pages 401-411, July.
    4. Grossman, Michael & Chaloupka, Frank J & Sirtalan, Ismail, 1998. "An Empirical Analysis of Alcohol Addiction: Results from the Monitoring the Future Panels," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 36(1), pages 39-48, January.
    5. Cook, Philip J. & Moore, Michael J., 1993. "Drinking and schooling," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 12(4), pages 411-429, December.
    6. Deykin, E.Y. & Buka, S.L., 1994. "Suicidal ideation and attempts among chemically dependent adolescents," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 84(4), pages 634-639.
    7. Pacula, Rosalie Liccardo, 1998. "Does increasing the beer tax reduce marijuana consumption?," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 17(5), pages 557-585, October.
    8. Dee, Thomas S., 1999. "State alcohol policies, teen drinking and traffic fatalities," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 72(2), pages 289-315, May.
    9. Jones, N.E. & Pieper, C.F. & Robertson, L.S., 1992. "The effect of legal drinking age on fatal injuries of adolescents and young adults," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 82(1), pages 112-115.
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    Cited by:

    1. Jaesang Sung & Qihua Qiu & Will Davis & Rusty Tchernis, 2022. "Design and Application of an Area-Level Suicide Risk Index with Spatial Correlation," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 161(1), pages 77-104, May.
    2. Douglas J. Young & Agnieszka Bielinska‐Kwapisz, 2006. "Alcohol Prices, Consumption, and Traffic Fatalities," Southern Economic Journal, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 72(3), pages 690-703, January.
    3. Christopher Carpenter, 2004. "Heavy alcohol use and youth suicide: Evidence from tougher drunk driving laws," Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 23(4), pages 831-842.
    4. Bisakha Sen & Susan Averett & Laura Argys & Daniel Rees, 2009. "The effect of substance use on the delinquent behaviour of adolescents," Applied Economics Letters, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 16(17), pages 1721-1729.
    5. Waddell, G.R., 2012. "Adolescent drug use and the deterrent effect of school-imposed penalties," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 31(6), pages 961-969.

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    • I0 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - General

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