Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2008 May 1:8:147.
doi: 10.1186/1471-2458-8-147.

Suicide among adults aged 30-49: a psychological autopsy study in Hong Kong

Paul W C Wong  1 , Wincy S C Chan, Eric Y H Chen, Sandra S M Chan, Y W Law, Paul S F Yip
Affiliations

Suicide among adults aged 30-49: a psychological autopsy study in Hong Kong

Paul W C Wong et al. BMC Public Health. .

Abstract

Background: A surge in suicide rates in middle age people in Hong Kong and many Asian countries was recently observed. However, there is a paucity of suicide research on this subgroup of people in Asia.

Methods: The next-of-kin of 85 suicide cases and 85 community subjects aged 30-49 years were interviewed by a psychological autopsy approach. Information was triangulated by interview notes, coroner's court files, and police investigation reports.

Results: A multiple logistic regression analysis identified the following risk factors for suicide among the middle age people in Hong Kong: the presence of at least one psychiatric disorder (OR = 37.5, 95% CI 11.5-121.9, p < 0.001), indebtedness (OR = 9.4, 95% CI 2.2-40.8, p < 0.01), unemployment (OR = 4.8, 95% CI 1.3-17.5, p < 0.05), never married (OR = 4.2, 95% CI 1.1-16.3, p < 0.05), and lived alone (OR = 3.9, 95% CI 1.2-13.4, p < 0.05).

Conclusion: The data show that socio-economical factors had a strong impact on suicide in the target group. Further research is needed to explore any positive qualities that protect the middle-aged from suicide. The prevention of suicide in the middle-aged requires multiple strategies.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Deceased case recruitment procedures through the Coroner's Court and the referrals from forensic pathologists at public mortuaries (n = 85).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Beautrais AL. Suicide in Asia. Crisis. 2006;27:55–57. - PubMed
    1. Yip PS, Liu KY, Law CK, Law YW. Social and economic burden of suicides in Hong Kong SAR: A year of life lost perspective. Crisis. 2005;26:156–159. - PubMed
    1. Wong DF. Socio-economic changes and mental health: Setting a new agenda for prevention strategies in Hong Kong. Int J Psychosocial Rehab. 2000;4:111–134.
    1. Kwan YK, Ip WC. Suicidality and migration among adolescents in Hong Kong. Death Stud. 2007;31:45–66. doi: 10.1080/07481180600993144. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Lee MTY, Wong BP, Chow BWY, McBride-Chang C. Predictors of suicide ideation and depression in Hong Kong adolescents: perceptions of academic and family climates. Suicide Life-Threat. 2006;36:82–96. doi: 10.1521/suli.2006.36.1.82. - DOI - PubMed

MeSH terms