Suicide Risk Is Associated with Birth Order

Studies on the psychological effects of birth order have yielded an array of sometimes conflicting findings. Some research has suggested that higher birth order may be linked to greater risk for depression, anxiety, and even suicide. Using data from nationwide Swedish registries, investigators examined relationships between birth order and suicide within individual families in adults born from 1932 through 1980; follow-up continued from 1980 through 2002.

The registries accounted for 10,656 suicides. Subanalyses examining adult variables were performed for those born in 1932–1955. Models variously adjusted for age, marital status, socioeconomic status, socioeconomic order within one's sibship, and maternal age at birth (factors that were, at…