Citation

Kong Y, Zhang J. Psychiatry Res. 2010; 179(2): 217-221.

Affiliation

Department of Epidemiology and Statistics, School of Public Health, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong 250012, China.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2010, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.psychres.2009.12.005

PMID

20483175

PMCID

PMC2925062

Abstract

Suicide is a leading cause of death in individuals 15-34years of age in China. Highly lethal pesticides are a common method used for suicide in Chinese rural areas. This case-control study aimed to test hypotheses concerning the suicide risks associated with pesticide access. Subjects included 370 rural completed suicides aged 15-34years and 370 living controls matched on age, gender and residence (rural/urban location). Data were collected by a psychological autopsy design with proxy respondents. Pesticide access was a significant risk factor for suicide even after controlling for other known risk factors in social and psychiatric domains, such as education level, living situation, marital status, family annual income and mental disorder. Increased risk was accounted for by access to insecticide rather than other types of pesticides. Suicide intervention in China should focus on restricting access to pesticides, especially highly toxic insecticide, improving the resuscitation skills of rural primary-care health providers, promoting psychological and social support networks in rural areas and educating the general public about the suicide risk of having pesticides stored at the households.

Language: en