Gender Differences In Suicide Rates Research Articles

Suicide and Suicide Prevention Activities Following the Great East Japan Earthquake 2011: A Literature Review.

Background: Since the Great East Japan Earthquake (GEJE), numerous studies have been conducted, but no comprehensive review study has been carried out. Thus, this literature review aimed to examine how the GEJE might affect suicide and suicidal behaviors from a long-term perspective. Methods: For the literature review, a search of electronic databases was carried out to find articles written in English and in Japanese that were related to suicide and its risk factors, as well as suicide prevention activities following the GEJE. Thirty-two articles were then selected for the review. Results: There were several findings, as follows: (1) gender differences in suicide rates in the affected area: nationwide, the suicide rates in men showed a delayed increase, whereas suicide rates in women increased temporarily immediately after the GEJE; (2) the suicide rates increased again in the recovery phase; (3) the background of the suicides was linked to both disaster-related experiences, and indirect reasons pertaining to the GEJE; and (4) intensive intervention combined with a high-risk and community-focused approach could prevent suicides following the disaster. Conclusions: Although further accumulation of knowledge about suicide and suicide prevention is essential, these findings can contribute to response, recovery, and preparedness in relation to future disasters.

A Scoping Review of Gender Differences in Suicide in India.

IntroductionMuch of the published literature on suicide comes from high income countries. In countries such as India, female suicide rates exceed the global suicide rate and suicide rates found in their male counterparts. Results from previous studies indicate that factors related to suicide among men and women in India are different from those seen in high-income countries. To date, no reviews have considered the relationship between gender and suicide in India. Therefore, the aim of this scoping review is to provide a comprehensive understanding of existing literature reporting gender differences in suicide rates, methods, risk factors and antecedent factors in India by reviewing published studies.MethodA scoping review was conducted to map the existing literature on gender differences in suicide in India. To identify peer-reviewed publications, online databases PsycINFO and Embase were searched. The search terms were [suicid* AND India*]. The searches took place in November 2020 and May 2021, with no language restrictions. Articles published from 2014 onwards from India were included. Reference lists of selected studies were searched for studies that could meet the inclusion criteria.ResultsThis review identified 17 studies that met the inclusion criteria. The ratio between women and men who die by suicide in India is much lower than in high-income countries. Hanging was found to be a more commonly used method of suicide among both men and women, in comparison to high-income countries where hanging is more common among men. This review also identified several gaps in the literature. There were few studies that examined suicide among transgender Indians. There was limited literature on gender differences in risk and protective factors for suicide. Limitations such as the omission of a lack of gender-based analyses in several studies and under-reporting of suicide rates were identified.ConclusionUnderstanding suicide within the context of individual countries is essential in designing culture-appropriate suicide prevention strategies. This review identified an urgent need to establish and evaluate suicide surveillance systems in India. Furthermore, additional research is warranted to understand suicide among individuals who identify outside the gender binary, and gender-specific risk and protective factors.

Gender Differences in Suicide Rates of Municipalities in South Korea.

Background: South Korea showed the highest suicide rate among the countries in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. Aims: This study aimed to discern the profiles of municipalities according to their suicide rates across the life cycle and gender, and then to identify the unique characteristics of each latent group. Method: This study applied a latent profile modeling to categorize the regions by life cycle suicide rates of their residents. The latent profile analysis (LPA) yielded four latent groups for males and three groups for females. This study explored the unique characteristics of 250 municipalities by latent groups with these groups. Results: The results suggested significant gender differences in the characteristics of localities. For the high adolescent suicide rates groups, there was a higher proportion of urban areas among males while there was a higher proportion of rural regions among females. Limitations: This study analyzed secondary data of municipalities, so the characteristics of each profile of suicide rate could only be identified within this existing data. Conclusions: This paper is one of the first studies to apply the LPA to different latent profiles by life cycle suicide rates.

Gender Differences in Suicide Rates

Gender Differences in Suicide Rates

Cultural Scripts: Analysis of Suicide Location in Film, 1900–2013

ABSTRACTScripts in the cinema provide a cultural definition of suicide, including where suicide takes place. Using opportunity theory, this study examines the concept of “lethal locations” to address questions regarding movies as a risk factor for suicide: (1) Do cinematic scripts overrepresent lethal locations? (2) Given sociological changes, have cinematic scripts for lethal locations intensified over a century of film? and (3) Are scripts for lethal locations for suicide gendered, possibly accounting for large gender differences in suicide rates? Data are taken from the National Violent Death Reporting System and from cinematic suicides. Results show that cinematic scripts overrepresent suicides away from home. Cinematic scripts supported a gendered relationship, whereas females are more apt than males to suicide at home, a pattern consistent with lower female suicide rates. This is the first national study of American suicide location in the media and society.

Beverage-Specific Alcohol Sales and Gender Difference in Suicide Rates in Russia

Background: In the Western world, males die from suicide three to four times more often than females. The reasons behind the gender gap in suicide mortality are hotly debated in the scientific literature. Russia retains one of the highest gender gap in suicide rates in the world. Some researchers have reported a close link between alcohol and suicide in Russia both in present and the past. Objective: The aim of the current study was to examine the aggregate-level relationship between the consumption of different alcoholic beverages and gender difference in suicide rates in Russia between 1970 and 2015. Method: The ARIMA (autoregressive integrated moving average) modeling technique was used to evaluate the relationship between changes in the consumption of different types of alcoholic beverages and gender difference in suicide mortality across the study period. Results: The results of ARIMA analysis indicate that vodka sales is closely linked with gender difference in suicide mortality in Russia: an additional liter of vodka sales per capita was estimated to increase in the difference between male and female suicide mortality rates by 10.3%. Conclusions: This piece of evidence provides support for the hypothesis that high level of vodka consumption in conjunction with binge drinking pattern may be a major reason for the high gender difference in suicide rates and its dramatic fluctuations in Russia during the last few decades.

Gender and age differences in suicide mortality in the context of violent death: Findings from a multi-state population-based surveillance system

ObjectiveMales are more likely than females to die by all forms of violent death, including suicide. The primary purpose of the present study was to explore whether the gender difference in suicide rates is largely accounted for by males' general greater tendency to experience violent deaths. The current study examined gender and age differences in suicides and other violent deaths, using data from a population-based surveillance system. MethodPearson's chi-square tests and logistic regression analyses were conducted with data for 32,107 decedents in the 2003–2005 National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS). Decedents were categorized by gender, age, and death by suicide versus other violent means. ResultsWhen suicides were examined in the greater context of violent death, the total proportion of violent deaths due to suicide did not differ across gender. When deaths were examined by age group, after controlling for ethnicity, marital status, and U.S. location in which the death occurred, males in early to mid childhood were significantly more likely than same-aged females to die by suicide relative to all other violent deaths. The portion of deaths due to suicide was for the most part equal across both genders in late childhood, young adulthood, and mid-adulthood. Older males were more likely than older females to die by suicide relative to other violent deaths. ConclusionOur findings suggest that that the risk of dying by suicide relative to other violent deaths may be more pronounced at certain developmental stages for each gender. This knowledge may be valuable in tailoring prevention strategies.

Preference of lethal methods is not the only cause for higher suicide rates in males

In most countries worldwide suicide rates are higher for males whereas attempted suicide rates are higher for females. The aim is to investigate if the choice of more lethal methods by males explains gender differences in suicide rates. Data on completed and attempted suicides were collected (n=3235, Nuremberg and Wuerzburg, years 2000-2004). The research question was analyzed by comparing the method-specific case fatality (= completed suicides/completed+attempted suicides) for males and females. Among the events captured, men chose high-risk methods like hanging significantly more often than women (φ=-0.27; p<0.001). However, except for drowning, case fatalities were higher for males than for females within each method. This was most apparent in "hanging" (men 83.5%, women 55.3%; φ=-0.28; p<0.001) and "poisoning by drugs" (men 7.2%, women 3.4%; φ=-0.09; p<0.001). The sample size (n=3235) was not enough for comparing method and gender specific case fatalities with a fine-meshed stratification regarding age. Higher suicide rates in males not only result from the choice of more lethal methods. Other factors have to be considered.

Multiple economic evaluation of Early Intervention (EI) for young people with first-episode psychosis

Background/Objectives: Participation in employment tends to be low in people with mental disorders. Recent studies show the potential for Early Intervention (EI) in young people aged 15 to 35 with first episode psychosis to help prevent suicide and some of the long term burdens of psychosis to the health care system. Moreover, preventing some of these adverse events may help to facilitate return to workplace and school. However, the cost-effectiveness of EI, including its wider social and economic implications has so far not been explored. Methods: Three decision analytical models were constructed to compare investment in a community-based multidisciplinary team for EI in first episode psychosis with standard care. Costs and benefits in terms of vocational, educational and criminal justice system related outcomes over a two year period, as well as suicide over a five year period, were modelled. Data on the effectiveness and costs of the intervention were taken from an empirical study in an area of high socio-economic deprivation in South London, as well as from a supplementary review of the literature. Sensitivity analyses were performed to test the robustness of different assumptions in the model, for instance on the cost of interventions including the intangible costs associated with physical and emotional impacts of poor mental health, and the likelihood of return to education or employment. Results: EI was found to be more cost-effective than standard care as EI was less costly due to significantly reduced costs for employment lost due to early psychosis, given higher rates of employment and returns to education, compared with standard care. Using a minimum wage rate the average savings are £ 2,087 in addition to health care savings. Although the cost of homicide is low for both EI and standard care, the lifetime costs with EI are £ 2,729 lower than for standard care. The annual saving in suicide costs with EI is £ 975 for men and £ 884 for women given a gender difference in suicide rates with lower rates of suicide after EI. The long-term economic impact of EI depends on what happens to readmission rates after a patient is discharged from the EI team. If the readmission rates remain constant, then the expected savings over eight years are £ 36,632. If rates converge immediately after EI team discharge, the figure is £ 17,427. Finally, if the rates converge gradually, the expected savings are £ 27,029. Discussion/Conclusions: Multidisciplinary team approaches to EI can help prevent some of the long term consequences of mental disorders, including the risk of suicide. This can also have positive economic benefits in terms of decreased homicide. The investment in EI can provide significant benefits of helping young people return to work and education, and actively engage in a normal healthy lifestyle.

X chromosome and suicide

Suicide completion rates are significantly higher in males than females in most societies. Although gender differences in suicide rates have been partially explained by environmental and behavioral factors, it is possible that genetic factors, through differential expression between genders, may also help explain gender moderation of suicide risk. This study investigated X-linked genes in suicide completers using a two-step strategy. We first took advantage of the genetic structure of the French-Canadian population and genotyped 722 unrelated French-Canadian male subjects, of whom 333 were suicide completers and 389 were non-suicide controls, using a panel of 37 microsatellite markers spanning the entire X chromosome. Nine haplotype windows and several individual markers were associated with suicide. Significant results aggregated primarily in two regions, one in the long arm and another in the short arm of chromosome X, limited by markers DXS8051 and DXS8102, and DXS1001 and DXS8106, respectively. The second stage of the study investigated differential brain expression of genes mapping to associated regions in Brodmann areas 8/9, 11, 44 and 46, in an independent sample of suicide completers and controls. Six genes within these regions, Rho GTPase-activating protein 6, adaptor-related protein complex 1 sigma 2 subunit, glycoprotein M6B, ribosomal protein S6 kinase 90 kDa polypeptide 3, spermidine/spermine N(1)-acetyltransferase 1 and THO complex 2, were found to be differentially expressed in suicide completers.

Trends in Adolescent Suicide in Hong Kong for the Period 1980 to 2003

This paper utilizes existing statistics on adolescent suicide to examine adolescent suicide trends and patterns in Hong Kong for the period 1980 to 2003. Several trends and patterns could be revealed from the analyses. First, there was a gradual rising trend where adolescent suicide rates in the 1990's and the early 2000's were higher than those in the 1980's. Second, suicide rates for adolescents aged 10-24 years were lower than those of other adult age groups. Third, although adolescent suicide rates in Hong Kong were lower than those reported in some English-speaking countries and Mainland China, the figures were higher than those reported in Taiwan. Fourth, suicide rates among teenagers in early adolescence were lower than those among adolescents in late adolescence. Fifth, although male adolescent suicide rates were in general higher than female adolescent suicide rates (10-24 age group), gender differences in suicide rates appeared to be moderated by age. Sixth, there was a gradual rising trend in adolescent proportional mortality rates for suicide since the 1990's. Seventh, proportional mortality rates for suicide among teenagers in early adolescence were lower than those among adolescents in late adolescence. Finally, although jumping from a height was a common method of adolescent suicide, there was a rising trend of using other methods, such as taking drugs, hanging and charcoal burning. The observed adolescent suicide phenomena are discussed in this study with reference to the socio-cultural context of Hong Kong.

The Gender Gap in Suicide Rates: An Analysis of Twenty Developed Countries, 1955-1994

Although analysis of the gender difference in suicide rates has traditionally examined the ratio of male to female rates, we analyze the difference between the male and female suicide rates. We examine variation in this measure of gender gap in suicide rates in 20 developed countries from 1955 through 1994. We examine a Durkheimian societal integration model along with data measuring the cultural disapproval of suicide. Regression models for the entire 1955-1994 period explained 62 percent of the variation in the gender gap, while R 2 for 1955-1974 and 1975-1994 separately was .81 and .86, respectively. Further analysis failed to find the pattern between the 1955-1974 and 1975-1994 periods as predicted by the ldquo;institutional adjustment" hypothesis.

Adolescent suicide in Hong Kong during 1980-2000.

Analyses of adolescent suicide statistics in Hong Kong for the period 1980 to 2000 revealed several phenomena. First, while adolescent suicide rates (10-24 age group) in Hong Kong were relatively stable for the period under study, there was a gradual rising trend where adolescent suicide rates in the 1990s were higher than those in the 1980s. Second, suicide rates for adolescents aged 10-24 were lower than those of other adult age groups. Third, while adolescent suicide rates in Hong Kong were lower than those reported in some English-speaking countries and Mainland China, the figures were higher than those reported in Taiwan. Fourth, suicide rates among teenagers in early adolescence were lower than those among adolescents in late adolescence. Fifth, although male adolescent suicide rates were in general higher than female adolescent suicide rates (10-24 age group), gender differences in suicide rates appeared to be moderated by age. Sixth, there was a gradual rising trend in adolescent proportional mortality rates for suicide in the 1990s. Seventh, proportional mortality rates for suicide among teenagers in early adolescence were lower than those among adolescents in late adolescence. Finally, while jumping from a height was a common method of adolescent suicide, there was a rising trend of using other methods such as taking drugs, hanging and charcoal burning. The observed adolescent suicide phenomena are discussed with reference to the socio-cultural context of Hong Kong.

Social and cultural patterns of suicide in young people in rural Australia.

The purpose of this paper is to describe patterns of suicide in young people in rural communities. Australian Institute for Suicide Research and Prevention and Australian Bureau of Statistics data are used to discuss regional and gender differences in suicide rates, with particular attention to completed suicides in young people. The regional distribution completed suicide in young people and gender differences in suicide rates are identified. Trends in the methods of suicide chosen by young people are also described. Patterns of male self-destructive behaviour are emphasised. The paper, as a whole, draws attention to the complex factors that influence deaths by suicide in young people. The factors implicated are associated mainly with suicide in young males, but much of the literature speculates on rather than demonstrates their influence. As the competing explanations have not been systematically evaluated, further research is required to establish the causal processes involved and to provide a firmer foundation for suicide prevention programs and services for those who live in suicide's aftermath.

Interactions of risk factors in predicting suicide

The authors examined interactions among risk factors for suicide, a strategy not typically followed in suicide research. Their results suggest an explanation for gender differences in suicide rates and qualifications in the relationship between hopelessness and suicide based on history of drug and alcohol abuse.

Differences Between Blacks and Whites, Women and Men, in Reasons for Living

Most research has shown that there are race differences in suicide rates (deCatanzaro, 1981), with Blacks being about half as likely to die by suicide as Whites (4.6 versus 11.3 per 100,000, annually). Among teenagers, a particularly high-risk group, there was a ratio of nearly one non-White suicide to two White suicides in 1981 (National Center for Health Statistics, 1984). There are also gender differences in suicide rates. Depending on age, the suicide rate for women in the United States is one-eighth to one-third that of men (McGinnis, 1987). The ratio of suicides by 20 to 24 year old men and women was nearly 5:1 in 1980 (Mercy, Tolsma, Smith, & Conn, 1984). The majority of research in the field of suicide has been directed at identifying maladaptive characteristics of suicidal persons. Adaptive, life-maintaining characteristics may be just as importantthey prevent suicide -but have received little research attention. There are also theoretical and clinical reasons for focusing on adaptive characteristics. From a theoretical perspective, Des Pres (1976) and Frankl (1959) independently proposed a model to investigate adaptive, life-maintaining characteristics in their studies of the survivors of the Nazi concentration camps. From a clinical perspective, for every person who commits suicide when faced with realistically difficult problems, there are many others who find