Suicide risk factors among the Chinese

Among the Chinese, suicide appears to be more likely among men, the elderly, and people who are single, a recent study has found. Similarly, those with major physical illnesses or lifetime mental disorders are also more likely to die by suicide.

Researchers conducted a prospective analysis of 512,715 individuals (mean age 52 years, 41 percent men) enrolled from the China Kadoorie Biobank. Semi-structured interviews and self-report questionnaires were used to collect information about potential risk factors.

Over an average follow-up of 9.9 years, a total of 520 suicides were reported, yielding a rate of 101 cases per 100,000 people, or 10.2 per 100,000 annually. Just over half of the suicides (51.3 percent) were in men, though a large majority (79.8 percent) were in people who lived in rural areas.

Cox regression analysis found that men were 60-percent more likely to die by suicide than women (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], 1.6, 95 percent confidence interval [CI], 1.4–2.0; p<0.001), as were those who were older (aHR per each 10-year increase, 1.3, 95 percent CI, 1.2–1.5; p<0.001).

Those who lived rurally (aHR, 2.6, 95 percent CI, 2.1–3.3; p<0.001) and were single (aHR, 1.7, 95 percent CI, 1.4–2.2) were also significantly more likely to die by suicide.

In addition, participants who had undergone family-related stressful life events (aHR, 1.8, 95 percent CI, 1.2–1.9; p<0.001) and were suffering from major physical illnesses (aHR, 1.5, 95 percent CI, 1.3–1.9; p<0.001) or lifetime mental disorders (aHR, 9.6, 95 percent CI, 5.9–15.6; p<0.001) saw similarly heightened risks. Psychiatric conditions such as schizophrenia-spectrum, depressive, anxiety, and sleep disorders were likewise linked to greater suicide risk.