Association of driving while intoxicated and suicide ideation and attempts in South Korea: a study in a nationally representative sample

Evidence indicating driving as a means for suicide has been consistently reported. However, there have been few reported studies examining the association between driving while intoxicated (DWI) and suicide. We aimed to investigate the associations between DWI and suicide ideation and suicide attempts taking into account the frequency and amount of alcohol consumption. This cross-sectional study used data from semi-structured, face-to-face interviews conducted with a nationally representative sample of the Korea Community Health Survey in 2009, 2013, and 2017. The study included 267,457 adult participants who drank alcohol at least once and had driven a motor vehicle at least once in the preceding year. The DWI group comprised participants who had driven under the influence of alcohol at least once in the preceding year. The associations between DWI and suicide ideation and suicide attempts were examined using a logistic regression model, adjusting for the frequency and amount of alcohol consumption and history of depressive episodes in the preceding year. The role of DWI as a risk factor for suicide was also examined in an analysis stratified by the frequency and amount of alcohol consumption. The DWI group included 39,062 (14.6%) subjects, who were at higher risk for suicide ideation (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 1.91; 95% CI 1.81–2.01) and suicide attempts (aOR = 1.56; 1.27–1.92) than those not involved in DWI. Increased risks of suicide ideation and suicide attempts were observed in most strata in the stratified analysis. People who engage in DWI may have an increased risk of suicide ideation and suicide attempts; this relationship was generally observed regardless of the frequency and amount of alcohol consumption.