TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2010//
TI  - The Relationship Between Elderly Suicide Rates and the Internet: A Cross-National Study
JO  - International journal of social psychiatry
A1  - Shah, Ajit
SP  - 214
EP  - 219
VL  - 56
IS  - 3
N2  - BACKGROUND: Suicide rates generally increase with age. Internet websites and chat rooms have been reported both to promote suicides and to have a positive beneficial effect on suicidal individuals. The role of the internet in elderly suicides has not been studied. METHODS: The relationship between elderly suicide rates and the prevalence of internet users was examined in a cross-national study using data from the World Health Organization and the United Nations website. RESULTS: The prevalence of internet users was significantly and positively correlated with suicide rates in both genders in the age bands 65-74 years and 75+ years. On multiple regression analysis the prevalence of internet users was independently associated with suicide rates in both genders in both age bands. CONCLUSION: Caution should be exercised in the attribution of a causal relationship and the direction of this relationship because of the cross-sectional and ecological study design whereby the findings are subject to ecological fallacy. However, the findings identify and support a need for further research.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 0020-7640
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0020764009105645
ID  - ref1
ER  -