Recent Australian suicide trends for males and females at the national level: has the rate of decline differed?

Abstract

Objectives: In keeping with international public health policy development, suicide prevention in Australia has received increasing attention. The mid to late 1990s saw the introduction of a range of co-ordinated national prevention programmes. Since 1997, suicides have decreased, but the comparative rates of decline for males and females have not been well studied at the national level.

Methods: Standardised suicide rates were calculated for males and females, using data from 1997 to 2005. Linear models (ordinary least squares) were used to calculate rates of decline, with trends compared for males and females.

Results: Male suicides appear to have fallen more rapidly than female suicides.

Conclusions: Australian males, an 'at risk' demographic, appear to be experiencing benefits from the existence of current national suicide prevention strategies and related social changes. It is recommended that greater consideration be given to researching risk factors such as intimate partner violence, sexual abuse, and substance dependence, for Australian female suicide.