Completed suicide with violent and non-violent methods in rural Shandong, China: a psychological autopsy study.

Shi-Hua Sun,Cun-Xian Jia,Martin Voracek

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0104333

Abstract

BackgroundThis study aims to describe the specific characteristics of completed suicides by violent methods and non-violent methods in rural Chinese population, and to explore the related factors for corresponding methods.MethodsData of this study came from investigation of 199 completed suicide cases and their paired controls of rural areas in three different counties in Shandong, China, by interviewing one informant of each subject using the method of Psychological Autopsy (PA).ResultsThere were 78 (39.2%) suicides with violent methods and 121 (60.8%) suicides with non-violent methods. Ingesting pesticides, as a non-violent method, appeared to be the most common suicide method (103, 51.8%). Hanging (73 cases, 36.7%) and drowning (5 cases, 2.5%) were the only violent methods observed. Storage of pesticides at home and higher suicide intent score were significantly associated with choice of violent methods while committing suicide. Risk factors related to suicide death included negative life events and hopelessness.ConclusionsSuicide with violent methods has different factors from suicide with non-violent methods. Suicide methods should be considered in suicide prevention and intervention strategies.

Highlights

Suicide has become a severe public health problem in the world [1]
With the rural population accounted for 50.1% of the whole population in 2010, the issue of suicide has been more serious in rural China
We aimed to describe the specific characteristics of suicide with violent methods vs. non-violent methods in rural Shandong Province, China and to explore possible risk factors related to suicides with violent methods and without

Summary

Introduction

Suicide has become a severe public health problem in the world [1]. In China, suicide ranks as fifth among the leading causes of death in the whole population and ranks the first in the 15–34 agegroups [2,3,4]. Researchers have identified the remarkable differences of certain patterns of suicide methods observed in different countries. Some studies [6,7,8,9,10,11,12] have found that choice of certain methods while committing suicide was not made randomly, but was influenced by some fixed factors. This study aims to describe the specific characteristics of completed suicides by violent methods and nonviolent methods in rural Chinese population, and to explore the related factors for corresponding methods

Objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusion