Gender-Specific Suicide Methods in Europe
Author Information
Author(s): Värnik A, Kölves K, van der Feltz-Cornelis C M, Marusic A, Oskarsson H, Palmer A, Reisch T, Scheerder G, Arensman E, Aromaa E, Giupponi G, Gusmäo R, Maxwell M, Pull C, Szekely A, Sola V Pérez, Hegerl U
Primary Institution: Estonian-Swedish Mental Health and Suicidology Institute
Hypothesis
To identify the most frequent gender-specific suicide methods in Europe.
Conclusion
Research on suicide methods could lead to the development of gender-specific intervention strategies.
Supporting Evidence
- Hanging was the most prevalent suicide method among both males (54.3%) and females (35.6%).
- Males had a higher risk than females of using firearms and hanging.
- Poisoning by drugs was the second most common method for females (24.7%).
- Countries could be grouped by patterns of suicide methods.
- Statistical analysis revealed significant gender differences in method choice.
Takeaway
This study looked at how men and women in Europe choose different ways to commit suicide, finding that hanging is the most common method for both genders.
Methodology
Data on suicide methods were collected from 16 European countries, covering 119,122 male and 41,338 female cases from 2000 to 2005.
Potential Biases
Data from some countries were not comparable with WHO data due to regional representation issues.
Limitations
Different classifications of causes of death were used in some countries, and some regions were not fully representative.
Participant Demographics
The study included 119,122 male and 41,338 female suicide cases from 16 European countries.
Statistical Information
P-Value
p<0.05
Confidence Interval
95% CI provided for relative risks.
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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