Factors Associated with Suicide among Police Officers in Brazil: An Integrative Literature Review Study

Abstract

The study aimed to identify factors associated with suicide among police officers in Brazil. This is an integrative literature review that was based on the following guiding question: "What are the factors associated with suicide among police officers in Brazil?". Searches were performed in November 2023 in the scientific databases Virtual Health Library (VHL) (https:// pesquisa.bvsalud.org/portal/) and PubMed (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/), from the search key: ((POLICE) AND (SUICIDE)) and (BRAZIL). The descriptors used were extracted from the Mesh/National Library of Medicine platform. Original articles published in the last 10 years that presented characteristics, profile and risk factors associated with suicide were included. Literature review studies, dissertations, theses, letters to the editor and articles in duplicate were excluded. The studies were published between 2007 and 2022. The sample consisted of quantitative descriptive studies (n=3), retrospective cohort (n=1) and ecological time series (n=1). The surveys had samples mostly composed of military police men; only one study investigated federal highway police. The factors associated with suicide and suicidal ideation among police officers in Brazil were financial complications, psychopathological comorbidities, male sex, young age and incipient career graduation.