Youth suicide attempts: a social and demographic profile

Abstract

Objective: The social and demographic characteristics of a New Zealand sample of young people making medically serious suicide attempts were examined and compared with those of a control sample of similar age.

Method: Using a case control design, 129 young people making serious suicide attempts were contrasted with 153 randomly selected community controls on a series of social and demographic characteristics including educational achievement, socioeconomic status, income, occupation, religious affiliation and ethnicity. The age and gender distribution of the sample, and the methods of suicide attempt, were examined.

Results: Almost equal numbers of young males (45.7%) and females (54.3%) made medically serious suicide attempts. The clear majority of serious suicide attempts were by overdose or poisoning (78.3%), with tricyclic antidepressants (38.6%) and paracetamol (37.6%) together accounting for three-quarters (76.2%) of all drug overdoses. Young people who were less well educated and who were from lower socioeconomic backgrounds had elevated risk of serious suicide attempts.

Conclusions: Young people from socially disadvantaged backgrounds have elevated risk of serious suicide attempt.