Table 3

Table 3

Influence of type of Federal/State government combination and other factors on suicide in NSW (1901–1998)

	Men				Women
	Number of suicides	Rate/ 100000 adjusted for age only	RR adjusted for age only	RR adjusted for age and all other variables	Number of suicides	Rate/ 100000 adjusted for age only	RR adjusted for age only	RR adjusted for age and all other variables
p<0.05, p<0.01, **p<0.001. †Referent group.
RR = Relative Risk.
Federal/State govt combination
Labor/Labor†	7391	23.02	1.00	1.00	2121	7.00	1.00	1.00
Labor/Conservative	6276	26.71	1.16***	1.09*	1886	7.84	1.12*	1.09
Conservative/Labor	10992	25.78	1.12***	1.07*	3967	8.47	1.21***	1.16***
Conservative/Conservative	8322	28.32	1.23***	1.17***	3116	10.78	1.54***	1.40***
% Annual change in GDP
Minus 10%	529	14.27	1.44***	1.43***	106	34.47	1.01	1.16
Minus 5–9%	594	11.10	1.12*	1.12	142	26.81	0.93	0.98
Minus 4% to plus 4%†	5118	9.91	1.00	1.00	1475	23.94	1.00	1.00
Plus 5–9%	10344	10.60	1.07	1.04	3429	25.62	1.17***	1.10*
Plus 10%	12568	9.91	1.00	0.97	4758	23.94	1.21***	1.23***
Drought
No drought†	20639	24.17	1.00	1.00	6610	7.81	1.00	1.00
Drought	12342	24.17	1.00	1.03	4480	8.98	1.15***	1.12***
First world war
No war†	32107	24.45	1.00	1.00	10871	8.38	1.00	1.00
War	874	26.41	1.08	1.07	219	7.29	0.87	0.81*
Second world war
No war†	31827	24.80	1.00	1.00	10654	8.42	1.00	1.00
War	1154	17.61	0.71***	0.73***	436	6.73	0.80	0.86*
Sedative epidemic
No sedatives†	29720	24.17	1.00	1.00	9367	7.73	1.00	1.00
Sedatives	3261	28.04	1.16***	1.09*	1723	13.61	1.76***	1.56***