Sex differences in suicide mortality in Newfoundland and Labrador: An observational study with medical examiner data from 1997 to 2016.

Background: Globally, the suicide rate is two times higher for males than for females. Previous studies in Newfoundland and Labrador did not examine age-specific rates by sex. The objectives of this study were to determine suicide rates by sex and age group and to compare the demographic and clinical characteristics of males and females who died by suicide. Data and methods: This observational study analyzed a routinely collected dataset based on all medical examiner-determined suicide deaths among people aged 10 years and older in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, between 1997 and 2016. Age-standardized and age-specific suicide rates and rate ratios were calculated based on the number of deaths during the period, and descriptive statistics were used to compare demographic and clinical characteristics between males and females. Results: The age-standardized suicide rate was 4.6 times higher among males than females and was higher for males in most age groups. Rates were highest in the young adult age groups for males (20 to 24 years) and females (35 to 39 years). Males who died by suicide were more likely to be from a rural community and to have died by firearm; females were more likely to die by self-poisoning and to have had a mental illness or substance use history. Interpretation: The results are broadly consistent with previous research, though this is the first study to report age-specific suicide rates among females across the life course in Newfoundland and Labrador. The results underscore the need to design public health and clinical interventions that account for sex differences in suicide risks.

Suicide in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada: a time trend analysis from 1981 to 2018.

BACKGROUND: The suicide rate in Canada decreased by 24% during the past four decades. However, rates vary between provinces and territories, and not all jurisdictions experienced the same changes. This study examined suicide rates over time in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. METHODS: We used cross-sectional surveillance data from the Canadian Vital Statistics Death Database to examine suicide rates in Newfoundland and Labrador from 1981 to 2018. We calculated annual age-standardized suicide mortality rates and used joinpoint regression to estimate the average annual percent change (AAPC) in suicide rates overall and by sex, age group, and means of suicide. RESULTS: From 1981 to 2018, 1759 deaths by suicide were recorded among people in Newfoundland and Labrador. The age-standardized suicide mortality rate increased more than threefold over the study period, from 4.6 to 15.4 deaths per 100,000. The suicide rate was higher among males than females, and accounted for 83.1% of suicide deaths (n = 1462); the male-to-female ratio of suicide deaths was 4.9 to 1. The average annual percent change in suicide rates was higher among females than males (6.3% versus 2.0%). Age-specific suicide rates increased significantly for all age groups, except seniors (aged 65 or older); the largest increase was among youth aged 10 to 24 years old (AAPC 3.5; 95% CI, 1.6 to 5.5). The predominant means of suicide was hanging/strangulation/suffocation, which accounted for 43.8% of all deaths by suicide. CONCLUSIONS: The suicide rate in Newfoundland and Labrador increased steadily between 1981 and 2018, which was in contrast to the national rate decline. The disparity between the provincial and national suicide rates and the variations by sex and age underscore the need for a public health approach to prevention that accounts for geographic and demographic differences in the epidemiology of suicide.