Trends in Suicide Mortality in Taiwan, 1959-2006

Abstract

Objectives: This study was conducted to examine long-term trends in suicide mortality in Taiwan from 1959 to 2006 and to analyze the effects of age, time period, and cohort. Methods: Suicide mortality was calculated using official vital statistics data. The effects of age, time period, and cohort on suicide mortality were examined graphically and with Poisson regression models. Results: An ubiquitous period effect on suicide mortality in both genders across all age groups was observed, with peak rates in the early 1960s and early 1980s and an upward trend since the mid-1990s. Suicide mortality increased with age, and evidence for an age-by-period interaction was found. Over the past decade, the sharpest increase in suicide mortality was found in middle-aged men. Evidence of cohort effects was less clear, and suicide risk of different cohorts appeared to be associated with period-and age-specific social environmental conditions. Conclusions: The changing patterns of suicide mortality highlight the importance of period-and age-specific social conditions in determining a population's risk of suicide. Further research is needed to explore the factors involved in such changes.