Suicides and medically serious attempters are of the same population in Chinese rural young adults.
BACKGROUND
Suicide rates in China are among the highest in the world, although there has been a decreasing trend in the past few years. One practical approach to study the characteristics and risk factors of suicide is to interview the suicide attempters. It was to compare completed suicides with serious attempters that may shed lights on suicide prevention strategies.


METHODS
This is a combination of two case control studies for suicide completers and suicide attempters respectively. After a sample of suicides (n=392) and community living controls (n=416) were obtained and studied in rural China, we collected in the same rural areas data of suicide attempt and studied 507 medically serious attempters and 503 community counterparts.


RESULTS
Characteristics and previously observed risk factors were compared between the suicides and the attempters, and we found that the demographic characteristics and risk factors for the suicides were also for the medically serious attempters but at some lesser degrees for the attempters than for the suicides. It was especially true of suicide intent, deficient coping, negative life events, and impulsivity. While most of the demographic characteristics were not significantly different between the suicides and the attempters, most of the clinical variables could distinguish the two groups.


CONCLUSIONS
The suicide victims and the serious attempters could be of the same group of people who were at the edge of fatal self-injury, and the same clinical risk factors but of different degrees have divided them into the life and death groups.
Center for Suicide Prevention and Research at Shandong University, Jinan 250012, China; Department of Sociology, State University of New York College at Buffalo, 1300 Elmwood Avenue, Buffalo, NY 14222, USA. Electronic address: zhangj@buffalostate.edu.
Jie
J
Zhang
Center for Suicide Prevention and Research at Shandong University, Jinan 250012, China.
Long
L
Sun
Department of Psychiatry at the University of Rochester School of Medicine, Rochester, NY 14642, USA.
Yeates
Y
Conwell
National Centre for Suicide Research and Prevention at University of Oslo, Sognsvannsveien 21, bygg 12, N-0372 Oslo, Norway.
Ping
P
Qin
Center for Suicide Prevention and Research at Shandong University, Jinan 250012, China.
Cun-Xian
CX
Jia
School of Public Health at Central South University, Changsha 410078, China.
Shuiyuan
S
Xiao
Statistical Consulting Services at University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14642, USA.
Xin-Ming
XM
Tu
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D044466:Asian People / Q000523:psychology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D003710:Demography / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007175:Impulsive Behavior; D008016:Life Change Events; D008297:Male; D012307:Risk Factors; D012424:Rural Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013405:Suicide / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013406:Suicide, Attempted / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D055815:Young Adult
China; Risk factors; Rural; Suicide; Suicide attempt; Young adults