Characteristics of suicide completers and attempters in rural Chinese population.
This study aimed to compare the similarities and differences between suicide completers and attempters in rural China.



Two paired case-control studies of completed suicide and suicide attempts were conducted in rural Shandong, China. This analysis included 409 suicide attempters (SA) with a mean age of 43.90 (SD=13.31), 117 suicide completers (SC) with a mean age of 50.38 (SD=13.02) and their controls matched by gender, age (within 3years), and residence. Logistic regression models were used to examine risk factors of suicide attempts and completed suicide and the differences between SA and SC.



Compared to their matched controls, suicide attempters and completers shared the following common risk factors: low levels of education (middle school or under) (OR, 95% CI: 2.79, 1.40-5.55 for SA and 16.98, 1.59-181.60 for SC), negative life events (OR, 95% CI: 7.37, 4.73-11.50 for SA and 21.08, 4.74-93.71 for SC), and mental disorders (OR, 95% CI: 7.52, 3.85-14.69 for SA and 22.39, 2.65-189.60 for SC). Compared to suicide attempts, completed suicide was associated with the following risk factors: male gender (OR, 95% CI: 1.75, 1.06-2.90), advancing age (OR, 95% CI: 1.02, 1.00-1.04), poor family economic status (OR, 95% CI: 6.74, 3.22-14.13), prior suicide attempts (OR, 95% CI: 2.43, 1.18-4.97), family suicide history (OR, 95% CI: 2.59, 1.33-5.06), high suicide intent (OR, 95% CI: 1.15, 1.05-1.27), and highly lethal methods (OR, 95% CI: 13.65, 6.51-28.59).



Although suicide completers and attempters share some common risk factors, suicide completers are more likely to have prior suicide attempts, family suicide history, and higher suicidal intent, and to use highly lethal methods in rural Chinese.
Department of Epidemiology, Shandong University School of Public Health, Jinan 250012, China.
Bao-Peng
BP
Liu
Department of Epidemiology, Shandong University School of Public Health, Jinan 250012, China; The University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN 38163, USA.
Xianchen
X
Liu
Department of Epidemiology, Shandong University School of Public Health, Jinan 250012, China. Electronic address: jiacunxian@sdu.edu.cn.
Cun-Xian
CX
Jia
D000328:Adult; D044466:Asian People / Q000523:psychology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011897:Random Allocation; D012307:Risk Factors; D012424:Rural Population; D013405:Suicide / Q000523:psychology*; D013406:Suicide, Attempted / Q000523:psychology*