Adolescence is a time of developmental shifts that may leave young people especially vulnerable to suicidal behaviour. Suicidal rates in different European countries differ, which may be due to many factors, including cross-cultural differences.

We aimed to explore differences in risk factors for suicidal behaviour (poor subjective health and low life satisfaction, health-related behaviours, including alcohol drinking habits, family and peer factors) between European countries with different suicidal rates.

The data were collected through questionnaires in the survey ‘Health Behaviour in School-aged Children’, 2005/2006, using nationally representative samples of 15 year old students (N = 11,093) from 7 countries (Lithuania, Finland, Ireland, Slovenia, Norway, Italy, Greece).

Principal component analyses were used to characterize how selected risk factors for suicide cluster together into factors. Differences for these factors were compared between 3 groups of countries: countries with low, average and high magnitude of suicidal rates (SDR; suicide death rate per 100 000, 15–29 years). Between group differences on first two factors, loaded by items measuring health-related behaviours, were significant and medium-sized and indicated cultural differences in alcohol use. Youth from Northern European countries - with high SDR, reported greater number of drunkenness occasions, whereas frequency of alcohol intake was greater for youth from Southern European countries - with low SDR.

Results indicated a possible association of suicidal behaviour and different drinking cultures, arising from different geographical locations and socio-cultural environments. Therefore research and preventive measures should consider specific socio-cultural context.