Trends in suicide by marital status in England and Wales, 1982-2005.

This article examines trends in suicide by marital status in England and Wales over the period 1982 to 2005. A protective effect of marriage has been observed in a number of previous studies and this article updates figures up to 2005. The article shows that despite changes in marriage patterns over the last 25 years, those who are married still have the lowest risk of suicide, and there has generally been no obvious decline in the difference in suicide rates between those who are married and those who are not.