Suicide among Polish Adolescents-A 20 Year Analysis.

Katarzyna Orlewska,Pawel Orlewski,Justyna Klusek

doi:10.3390/ijerph18063190

Abstract

Background: The study aimed to analyze the burden and territorial diversification of adolescent suicide and the link between suicide attempts and selected socioeconomic variables in Poland. Methods: Rates of suicide by voivodeships for years 1999–2019 were obtained from the General Police Headquarters of Poland database. The burden of premature death was expressed in years of life lost (YLL) and costs of lost productivity, which were estimated using the human capital approach. The link between suicide rates and socioeconomic determinants has been analyzed with Pearson’s correlation coefficient. Results: Over the analyzed period, an increase in suicide attempt rates and a decrease in suicide death rates have been observed. Mean YLL and costs of lost productivity per year amounted to 11,982 and 153,172,415 PLN, respectively. Territorial diversification in suicide attempt rates corresponds to the living condition, poverty, association-based capital, and satisfaction with family situation in individual voivodeships. The number of deaths due to suicide is negatively correlated with an indicator of good living conditions. Conclusions: Our findings provide quantitative evidence of the national impact of suicide and suggest that addressing social capital and poverty may have a role in preventing adolescent mortality due to suicide.

Highlights

Suicide is the second leading cause of death among adolescents (15–19 years old) worldwide [1], constituting a significant global public health care issue
Young people are more likely to lack self-confidence and feel misunderstood, which combined with new challenges they come across may lead to a sense of hopelessness, depression, substance abuse, school failure, which are known risk factors associated with suicidal behavior in this age group [3]
In the analyzed age group, an increase in the number of suicide attempts has been observed over a period of 20 years (Figure 1)

Summary

Introduction

Suicide is the second leading cause of death among adolescents (15–19 years old) worldwide [1], constituting a significant global public health care issue. In adolescent and young adults around the world, females present a higher risk of suicide attempt, whereas males are at a higher risk of fatal suicide [6]. Such a tendency is observed among Polish adolescents as well, where boys are more likely to take their own life [7] and girls are more prone to present suicidal thoughts and attempts [8] and are, four times more likely to be admitted to psychiatric wards [9]. International studies on factors associated with a higher risk of suicide attempts lead to preliminary conclusions that having no close friends, being bullied, interpersonal violence, and previous mental or substance abuse disorder were common risk factors for adolescents of both genders [6,10]

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