Gender, Alcohol, and Suicide-Related Fatalities: A Forensic Autopsy-Based Study in Nairobi
Authors
Department of Pathology Egerton University, Njoro (Kenya)
Article Information
DOI: 10.47772/IJRISS.2026.100500110
Subject Category: Medicine
Volume/Issue: 10/5 | Page No: 1570-1579
Publication Timeline
Submitted: 2026-04-25
Accepted: 2026-04-30
Published: 2026-05-23
Abstract
Background: Alcohol consumption is a well-established risk factor for suicide, acting through acute disinhibition, impaired judgment, and reduced impulse control. Gender differences are strongly associated with both alcohol use patterns and suicide mortality, with males disproportionately affected by heavy drinking and completed suicide. However, forensic evidence from low-resource settings remains limited.
Objective: To determine the prevalence and patterns of alcohol intoxication among suicide fatalities in Nairobi, with a specific focus on gender differences and intoxication severity.
Keywords
Alcohol intoxication, suicide, gender differences, forensic toxicology
Downloads
References
1. World Health Organization. Suicide worldwide in 2021: global health estimates. Geneva: WHO; 2021. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]
2. Kim AM. Alcohol consumption and suicide rate: a cross-national ecological analysis of 183 countries. Psychiatry Res. 2021;295:113553. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]
3. Borges G, Bagge CL, Cherpitel CJ, Conner KR, Orozco R, Rossow I. A meta-analysis of acute use of alcohol and the risk of suicide attempt. Psychol Med. 2017;47(5):949–957. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]
4. Norström T, Rossow I. Alcohol consumption as a risk factor for suicidal behavior: a systematic review of associations at individual and population level. Arch Suicide Res. 2016;20(4):489–506. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]
5. Sher L. Alcohol consumption and suicide. QJM. 2006;99(1):57–61. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]
6. Conner KR, Bagge CL. Suicidal behavior: links between alcohol use and suicide. Alcohol Res. 2019;40(1):arcr.v40.1.05. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]
7. Kaplan MS, McFarland BH, Huguet N, Caetano R, Giesbrecht N, et al. Acute alcohol intoxication and suicide: a gender-stratified analysis of the National Violent Death Reporting System. Inj Prev. 2013;19(1):38–43. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]
8. Kaplan MS, Huguet N, Caetano R, et al. Heavy alcohol use among suicide decedents relative to a nonsuicide comparison group: gender-specific effects. Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 2016;40(7):1501–1506. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]
9. Rockett IRH, Hobbs G, De Leo D, Stack S, Frost JL, Ducatman AM, et al. Suicide and unintentional poisoning mortality trends in the United States: patterns by sex and alcohol involvement. Am J Prev Med. 2010;38(6):615–621. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]
10. Koob GF. Neurobiology of alcohol dependence: role of stress and reward systems. Alcohol Res. 2013;35(2):155–163. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]
11. Courtenay WH. Constructions of masculinity and their influence on men’s health behaviors and help-seeking. Soc Sci Med. 2000;50(10):1385–1401. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]
12. World Health Organization. Alcohol and public health in Africa: a growing concern. Geneva: WHO; 2018. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]
13. Ferreira-Borges C, Parry CDH, Babor TF. Harmful use of alcohol: a shadow over sub-Saharan Africa in need of workable solutions. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2017;14(4):346. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]
14. Peltzer K, Pengpid S. Alcohol use and mental health among adults in South Africa and Kenya. BMC Psychiatry. 2016;16:421. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]
15. Othieno CJ, Okoth RO, Peltzer K, Pengpid S, Malla LO. Correlates of alcohol consumption in Kenya: implications for mental health and injury outcomes. BMC Psychiatry. 2017;17:175. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]
16. Kiama W. Alcohol intoxication and suicide in Kenya: an autopsy-based study of severity, demographics and method of death. Open J Psychiatry. 2025. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]
Metrics
Views & Downloads
Similar Articles
- Treasure of 6th Edition of Organon of Medicine- Lm Potency
- Neurobehavioral and Immune-Histochemical Effects of Daucus Carota Ethanolic Leaf Extract in Cadmium-Induced Toxicity of the Hippocampus and Prefrontal Cortex of Adult Wistar Rats
- Unveiling the Antimicrobial Potential of Homoeopathic Sarcode and Bowel Nosode: A Study on Histaminum and Dysenteriae Co against Escherichia Coli And Klebsiella Bacteria
- Incidence of Cardiovascular Events in Patients Receiving Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant (HSCT) in HCTM – (A Retrospective Cohort Study)
- A Prospective Case Study Examining the Effectiveness of Homoeopathic Medicine in Treating Degenerative Changes in the Lumbar Spine-A Case Report