J Korean Soc Biol Ther Psychiatry.  2022 Oct;28(3):91-97.

Methods and Causes of Completed Suicides According to Age and Gender

• Kim DM
• Kim JH
• Bang YR
• Kim HS
• Kim SH
• Park JH

Abstract

Objectives
：South Korea has one of the highest suicide rates in the world, with the highest rate reported in Busan metropolitan city in the past decade. Based on the data collected regarding the characteristics of suicide completers, we investigated gender- and age-related differences in the causes and methods of completed suicides.
Methods
：Information from 675 persons who committed suicide was included in the statistical analysis, and descriptive statistics were used to present the demographic variables. To ascertain the differences by gender and age, logistic regression analyses were also conducted. Age groups were stratified according to the stage in life: young, middle, and late adulthood. Additionally the odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals were estimated using gender and age as independent variables, and methods and causes as dependent variables.
Results
：The most frequent suicide method and cause were hanging and physical illness, respectively, with women were more likely to choose jumping as a suicide method than men. In terms of suicide causes, economic difficulties were more often related to men than women. While the young adulthood group was more likely to choose jumping and gassing than the late adulthood group, the latter was more likely to choose chemical poisoning as a suicide method. Furthermore, in terms of suicide causes, economic difficulty and psychiatric disorder were more often related to the young adulthood group than the late adulthood group. In addition, the middle adulthood group was more often associated with economic difficulty than the late adulthood group, while the latter was more often related with physical illness than the young adulthood group.
Conclusions
：The causes and methods of suicide in suicide completers differ according to age and gender. The results of our study underline the need to reflect age- and gender-related characteristics in establishing suicide prevention policies.

Keyword

Suicide; completed; Epidemiology; Sex; Age groups