Citation

Liang YL, Lin CY, Gao YM, Gunnell D, Hsu CY, Chang SS. Crisis 2024; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2024, International Association for Suicide Prevention, Publisher Hogrefe Publishing)

DOI

10.1027/0227-5910/a000945

PMID

38353037

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Travel distance to hospital emergency departments (EDs) may be a more influential factor in the spatial variation in hospital-presenting self-harm than for suicide deaths. Aims: We investigated the associations of travel distance to the nearest ED with self-harm hospital presentations and suicides in a large city in Taiwan.

METHOD: Data for self-harm and suicide were extracted from Taiwan's National Suicide Surveillance System (2012-2016).

RESULTS: Adjusted analyses using Bayesian hierarchical models showed that a longer travel distance to the nearest hospital ED was associated with lower self-harm hospital presentation rates but not suicide rates. Limitations: This is an ecological study; the area-level associations could not be directly implied at the individual level.

CONCLUSION: Living in remote neighborhoods could be a barrier to seeking medical help after self-harm, and this has implications for suicide, surveillance, prevention and intervention strategies.

Language: en

Keywords

area-level characteristics; spatial analysis; travel distance to hospital emergency department