Risk factors associated with suicide clusters in Australian youth: Identifying who is at risk and the mechanisms associated with cluster membership.


Journal

EClinicalMedicine
ISSN: 2589-5370
Titre abrégé: EClinicalMedicine
Pays: England
ID NLM: 101733727

Informations de publication

Date de publication:
Dec 2020
Historique:
received: 12 08 2020
revised: 18 10 2020
accepted: 27 10 2020
entrez: 9 12 2020
pubmed: 10 12 2020
medline: 10 12 2020
Statut: epublish

Résumé

It is unclear who is at risk of being involved in a suicide cluster and whether suicide clusters are influenced by the social transmission of suicidal behaviour, assortative relating, or a combination of both. Suicide clusters involving two or more young people were identified from the free text of electronic police and coroners reports in Australia's National Coronial Information System in a nationwide cross-sectional study. The duration of survival among exposed cases were estimated using time-to-event methods. The casewise concordance of demographic, social and clinical characteristics and circumstances of death were examined among index and exposed cases. We identified links between 117 young people (51 suicide clusters). 50% of young people died within 90 days of the index suicide. Individuals exposed to railway suicide had an 80% probability of dying by the same method. Those exposed to the suicide of a person aged 10-18 years had an 86% probability of being from the same age group. Young people had a 67% and 60% probability of sharing the same characteristics as the index suicide when the index suicide resided in a remote community or was of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander descent. Suicide clusters may be associated with both the social transmission of suicidal behaviour and assortative relating. Individuals who were close to the deceased should be provided with access to postvention support, particularly within the first 90 days of exposure to an index suicide. Australian Rotary Health, National Health and Medical Research Council.

Sections du résumé

BACKGROUND BACKGROUND
It is unclear who is at risk of being involved in a suicide cluster and whether suicide clusters are influenced by the social transmission of suicidal behaviour, assortative relating, or a combination of both.
METHODS METHODS
Suicide clusters involving two or more young people were identified from the free text of electronic police and coroners reports in Australia's National Coronial Information System in a nationwide cross-sectional study. The duration of survival among exposed cases were estimated using time-to-event methods. The casewise concordance of demographic, social and clinical characteristics and circumstances of death were examined among index and exposed cases.
FINDINGS RESULTS
We identified links between 117 young people (51 suicide clusters). 50% of young people died within 90 days of the index suicide. Individuals exposed to railway suicide had an 80% probability of dying by the same method. Those exposed to the suicide of a person aged 10-18 years had an 86% probability of being from the same age group. Young people had a 67% and 60% probability of sharing the same characteristics as the index suicide when the index suicide resided in a remote community or was of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander descent.
INTERPRETATION CONCLUSIONS
Suicide clusters may be associated with both the social transmission of suicidal behaviour and assortative relating. Individuals who were close to the deceased should be provided with access to postvention support, particularly within the first 90 days of exposure to an index suicide.
FUNDING BACKGROUND
Australian Rotary Health, National Health and Medical Research Council.

Identifiants

pubmed: 33294825
doi: 10.1016/j.eclinm.2020.100631
pii: S2589-5370(20)30375-8
pmc: PMC7691728
doi:

Types de publication

Journal Article

Langues

eng

Pagination

100631

Informations de copyright

© 2020 The Author(s).

Déclaration de conflit d'intérêts

The authors declare no competing interests.

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Auteurs

Nicole T M Hill (NTM)

Telethon Kids Institute, 15 Hospital Ave, Nedlands, Perth, WA 6008, Australia.
Orygen, Centre for Youth Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.

Matthew J Spittal (MJ)

Centre for Mental Health, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.

Jane Pirkis (J)

Centre for Mental Health, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.

Michelle Torok (M)

Black Dog Institute, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.

Jo Robinson (J)

Orygen, Centre for Youth Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.

Classifications MeSH