UPPSALA, Sweden, July 28-Shorter men have a twofold greater risk for suicide than taller men, according to a cohort study of more than a million men in this country.
For every five-centimeter (two-inch) increase in height, there was a 9% decrease in suicide risk, according to Patrik Magnusson, Ph.D., of Uppsala University and colleagues.
The association remained even after accounting for prenatal development and socioeconomic factors, the researchers reported in the July issue of American Journal of Psychiatry.
Action Points
- Be aware that shorter men, in the 18 to 49 year old age group, may be at an increased risk for psychological stress and suicide risk.
- Note that stigmatization associated with shortness may begin as early as childhood and linger into adulthood, potentially increasing an adult's risk for unhealthy lifestyle behaviors.
They found this height-suicide connection was strongly related to undetermined deaths (hazard ratio per 5-cm increase in height=0.86, 95% CI=0.81-0.90), and alcohol-related deaths (hazard ratio=0.77, 95% CI=0.71-0.83), "suggesting that substance misuse may contribute to the observed patterns," Dr. Magnusson and colleagues wrote.
These conclusions were based on data from 1,299,177 Swedish men who were born between 1950 and 1981-79% of the Swedish male population at the time, The men were tracked between ages 18 to 49. During the 15-year follow-up period, there were 3,075 suicides.
The average height of the participants was 179.3 cm, or about five feet, nine inches. The participants' heights were measured when they were 18 to 19 years old. The researchers also obtained data on birth weight and length, gestational age, and parents' socioeconomic status. After adjusting for these factors, the shortness and suicide association remained.
When the investigators factored in education and marriage, the association was only slightly weakened from 0.91 (95% CI=0.86-0.95) to 0.92 (95% CI= 0.88-0.97) and from 0.93 (95% CI=0.88-0.98) to 0.94 (95% CI-0.89 to 0.99), respectively.
Even after excluding men with psychiatric disorders, the relationship between height and suicide risk persisted, the investigators added.
Dr. Magnusson and colleagues said they were unable to assess the potential influences unemployment, relationships, or mental illness may have had on the height and suicide relationship.
Their findings cannot be applied to older men or women, they said. However, they noted that in Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States, suicides among men ages 18 to 49 "account for almost half of all suicides."
The investigators said it is likely there are several factors at work here that may begin as early as childhood and linger into adulthood.
The researchers cited earlier research, including a 1997 British Medical Journal study that suggested shorter children might be at an intellectual disadvantage. "Short children tend to have lower levels of intelligence and may suffer stigmatization and discrimination," they concluded.
In addition, "psychological stress and disrupted family life in childhood impair growth and may increase susceptibility to mental illness and suicidal behavior later in life."
Related articles:
- Perception of Body Image Raises Risk for Teen Suicide
- FDA Warns of Possible Link Between Antidepressants and Adult Suicide Risk
Primary Source
American Journal of Psychiatry
Magnusson et al, "Strong Inverse Association Between Height and Suicide in a Large Cohort of Swedish Men: Evidence of Early Life Origins of Suicidal Behavior?" Am J Psychiatry; July 2005; 162:7; p. 1373-1375