title: Suicides in the indigenous and non-indigenous populations in the Nenets Autonomous Okrug, Northwestern Russia, and associated socio-demographic characteristics.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  To describe suicide rates in the indigenous and non-indigenous populations of the Nenets Autonomous Okrug (NAO) in 2002-2012, as well as associated socio-demographic characteristics.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective population-based mortality study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data from autopsy reports were used to identify 252 cases of suicide in the NAO in 2002-2012. Data on socio-demographic characteristics of these cases were obtained from passports and medical records at local primary health care units, and were then linked to total population data from the Censuses in 2002 and 2010. Suicide rates for the indigenous Nenets population and the non-indigenous population were standardized to the European standard population. The rates were also estimated according to different socio-demographic characteristics and compared by calculating relative risks.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The crude suicide rates were 79.8 per 100,000 person-years (PYs) in the Nenets population and 49.2 per 100,000 PYs in the non-indigenous population. The corresponding standardized estimates were 72.7 per 100,000 PYs and 50.7 per 100,000 PYs. The highest suicide rates in the Nenets population were observed in the age group 20-29 years (391 per 100,000 PYs), and in females aged 30-39 years (191 per 100,000 PYs). Socio-demographic characteristics associated with high suicide rates in the Nenets population were age 20-39 years, male, urban residence, having secondary school or higher education, being an employee or employer, and being single or divorced. Males aged 20-29 years, and females aged 30-39 and aged 70 years and above had the highest suicide rates in the non-indigenous population (137.5, 21.6 and 29.9 per 100,000 PYs, respectively). The elevated suicide rates observed in the non-indigenous population were associated with male sex, rural residence, secondary school education, being an employee or employer, and being single or divorced.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Suicide rates in the NAO were substantially higher among the indigenous Nenets population than the non-indigenous population, and were associated with different socio-demographic characteristics.
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Medicine, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway ; International School of Public Health, Northern State Medical University, Arkhangelsk, Russia.
authors.forename: Yury A
authors.initials: YA
authors.lastname: Sumarokov
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Medicine, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway.
authors.forename: Tormod
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Brenn
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Medicine, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway ; International School of Public Health, Northern State Medical University, Arkhangelsk, Russia.
authors.forename: Alexander V
authors.initials: AV
authors.lastname: Kudryavtsev
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Medicine, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway.
authors.forename: Odd
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Nilssen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D001110:Arctic Regions / Q000208:ethnology; D003710:Demography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D044382:Population Groups / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012424:Rural Population; D012426:Russia / Q000453:epidemiology; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013405:Suicide / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013406:Suicide, Attempted / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D016019:Survival Analysis; D014505:Urban Population; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: indigenous Nenets; person-years; relative risks; suicide rates