Suicide Rate, Depression and the Human Development Index: An Ecological Study From Mexico.

Lina Díaz-Castro,Héctor Cabello-Rangel,María Elena Márquez-Caraveo

doi:10.3389/fpubh.2020.561966

Lina Díaz-Castro, Héctor Cabello-Rangel + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2020.561966

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Abstract

Objective: To assess the contribution of depression, the human development index (HDI) including the health, education and income indexes as well as the households structure to the suicide rate in Mexican population from 15 to 49 years old.Methods: An ecological cross-sectional study was carried out in people between 15 and 49 years old. The health index (HI), education index (EI), income index (II), and HDI were constructed. The suicide rate, educational level, per capita income, poverty, and rate of households were collected from official databases. Pearson's correlation coefficient (r) was used to determine the strength between the suicide rate and the per capita income, unemployment, poverty, HI, EI, II, HDI, non-family household, and depression incidence rate. A multiple linear regression model was used to know the association between suicide rates and HDI.Results: The suicide rate was 8.76/100,000 inhabitants. The HDI of the 32 Mexican states were low 16%, middle 41%, high 22%, and extremely high 13%. A direct and positive intensity relationship between suicide rate and non-family households, was found (r = 0.352; p < 0.001); on the other hand, the suicide rate is significantly and negatively related to family households with Pearson (r = −0.350; p < 0.001).Conclusion: The states of the Mexican Republic with the highest prevalence of non-family households had a positive association with the suicide rate. Based on the result of this study, it is possible to assume that, as the HDI increases, there is a greater possibility of living alone and having suicidal behavior.

Highlights

Suicide is a public health problem that has increased in recent years, the World Health Organization (WHO) reports 804,000 suicides annually and it is the second leading cause of violent death in the population aged 15–29 years [1]
In Mexico, deaths by suicide have increased in recent decades, and they are a significant cause of disability, it is estimated that the Disability Adjusted Life Years (DALYs) for suicide are 304.64/100,000 inhabitants according to the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) [2]
The theory of human development assumes that better economic conditions do not ensure higher levels of health, it is considered that the increase in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita, is not a good measure for the impact on health; in contrast, the Human Development Index (HDI) could be a good indicator, due to it including three essential aspects of human life: [1] the possibility of having a long and healthy life; [2] the possibility of acquiring knowledge, and [3] the opportunity to have resources for a decent life [5]

Summary

Introduction

Suicide is a public health problem that has increased in recent years, the World Health Organization (WHO) reports 804,000 suicides annually and it is the second leading cause of violent death in the population aged 15–29 years [1]. Because economic conditions affect people’s health and human development, preserving health is an investment in human capital, becoming a determinant of development and a way to overcome social inequalities. Under this perspective, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), recognizes health as a part of human development and defines it as: “the expression of the freedom of people to live a long, healthy and creative life; pursue objectives that they themselves consider valuable; and actively participate in the sustainable and equitable development of the planet they share” [4]. The theory of human development assumes that better economic conditions do not ensure higher levels of health, it is considered that the increase in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita, is not a good measure for the impact on health; in contrast, the Human Development Index (HDI) could be a good indicator, due to it including three essential aspects of human life: [1] the possibility of having a long and healthy life; [2] the possibility of acquiring knowledge, and [3] the opportunity to have resources for a decent life [5]

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Conclusion