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Trends in suicides among italian youth aged 10 to 25: A nationwide register study

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 August 2021

A. Forte ,
M. Vichi ,
S. Ghirini ,
M. Orri  and
M. Pompili
A. Forte*
Affiliation:
Suicide Prevention Center, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy, Rome, Italy Department Of Neurosciences, Mental Health And Sensory Organs, Suicide Prevention Center, Sant’andrea Hospital, Sapienza University Of Rome, Rome, Italy, Sapienza university of Rome, ROMA, Italy
M. Vichi
Affiliation:
Statistical Service, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, National Institute of Health (ISS), Rome, Italy
S. Ghirini
Affiliation:
Statistical Service, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, National Institute of Health (ISS), Rome, Italy
M. Orri
Affiliation:
Department Of Psychiatry, McGill Group for Suicide Studies, Douglas Mental Health University Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Canada, Montreal, Canada
M. Pompili
Affiliation:
Department Of Neurosciences, Mental Health And Sensory Organs, Suicide Prevention Center, Sant’andrea Hospital, Sapienza University Of Rome, Rome, Italy, Sapienza university of Rome, roma, Italy
*
*Corresponding author.

Abstract

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Introduction

Suicide continues to be a significant cause of mortality in most countries worldwide, especially among youth. Documenting current trends and sources of variation in youth suicide rates is critical to inform prevention strategies.

Objectives

We aimed to 1. document suicide mortality trends among Italian youth from 1981 to 2016 2. describe age, sex, and urbanization specific suicide rates in this period, and 3. describe suicide methods and their change over time.

Methods

We relyed on official mortality data for the period 1981-2016 for adolescents and young adults (ages 10-25 years). We estimated standardized all-cause and suicide mortality rates per 100,000 individuals and used Joinpoint regression analysis to determine annual mortality trends and statistically significant changes in rate trends. Analyses were reported by sex, age group, urbanization level and suicide method.

Results

From 1981 to 2016, 1,752 suicides were identified among youth aged 10-17 (boys/girls ratio in 2016, 5.3) and 9,897 among youth aged 18-25 years (boys/girls ratio in 2016, 4.0). While the all-cause mortality rate decreased over time for both boys and girls, overall suicide rates remained stable for boys and showed a small decrease for girls. For boys, suicide was most common in rural than to metropolitan areas, while it was the opposite for girls. The most common method for boys was hanging, while for girls was fall.

Conclusions

Differently from other countries, youth suicides were stable (boys) or slightly declining (girls). We found differences according to the urban vs. rural areas. Factors influencing these trends and sex differences are crucial in delivering prevention strategies.

Disclosure

No significant relationships.

Keywords

adolescenceSuicide
Type
Abstract
Information
European Psychiatry , Volume 64 , Special Issue S1: Abstracts of the 29th European Congress of Psychiatry , April 2021 , pp. S173 - S174
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the European Psychiatric Association
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