title: Does adversity early in life affect general population suicide rates? A cross-national study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Adversity early in life has been suggested as a protective factor for elderly suicides. However, studies examining this relationship in general population suicide rates are scarce.
  
  
  METHODS
  The relationship between general population suicide rates and four proxy measures of adversity earlier in life was examined using data from the World Health Organization and the United Nations data banks.
  
  
  RESULTS
  General population suicide rates were negatively correlated with the percentage of children under the age of 5 years who were underweight, the percentage of children under the age of 5 years who were under height, the percentage of infants with low birth weight babies, and the percentage of the general population that was undernourished. The only independent predictor general population suicide rates in both sexes, on multiple regression analysis, was the Gini coefficient (a measure of income inequality).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Income inequality may lead to low birth weight, undernourishment, underweight and under height because income inequality results in poor access to healthcare and nutrition. These adversities may increase child mortality rates and reduce life expectancy. Those surviving into adulthood in countries with greater adversity early in life may be at reduced risk of suicide because of selective survival of those at reduced risk of suicide due to constitutional or genetic factors and development of greater tolerance to hardship in adulthood. ‎
authors.affiliation: University of Central Lancashire, Preston, United Kingdom and Consultant Psychiatrist, West London Mental Health NHS Trust, United Kingdom. ajit.shah@wlmht.nhs.uk
authors.forename: Ajit
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Shah
authors.forename: Ritesh
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bhandarkar
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D014943:Global Health; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D044342:Malnutrition / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D009752:Nutritional Status; D011203:Poverty / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013405:Suicide / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data