Hurricane Florence and suicide mortality in North Carolina: a controlled interrupted time-series analysis.
Inj Prev
; 29(2): 180-185, 2023 04.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-36600665
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Natural disasters are associated with increased mental health disorders and suicidal ideation; however, associations with suicide deaths are not well understood. We explored how Hurricane Florence, which made landfall in September 2018, may have impacted suicide deaths in North Carolina (NC).METHODS:
We used publicly available NC death records data to estimate associations between Hurricane Florence and monthly suicide death rates using a controlled, interrupted time series analysis. Hurricane exposure was determined by using county-level support designations from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. We examined effect modification by sex, age group, and race/ethnicity.RESULTS:
8363 suicide deaths occurred between January 2014 and December 2019. The overall suicide death rate in NC between 2014 and 2019 was 15.53 per 100 000 person-years (95% CI 15.20 to 15.87). Post-Hurricane, there was a small, immediate increase in the suicide death rate among exposed counties (0.89/100 000 PY; 95% CI -2.69 to 4.48). Comparing exposed and unexposed counties, there was no sustained post-Hurricane Florence change in suicide death rate trends (0.02/100 000 PY per month; 95% CI -0.33 to 0.38). Relative to 2018, NC experienced a statewide decline in suicides in 2019. An immediate increase in suicide deaths in Hurricane-affected counties versus Hurricane-unaffected counties was observed among women, people under age 65 and non-Hispanic black individuals, but there was no sustained change in the months after Hurricane Florence.CONCLUSIONS:
Although results did not indicate a strong post-Hurricane Florence impact on suicide rates, subgroup analysis suggests differential impacts of Hurricane Florence on several groups, warranting future follow-up.Palabras clave
Texto completo:
1
Colección:
01-internacional
Banco de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Suicidio
/
Tormentas Ciclónicas
Límite:
Aged
/
Female
/
Humans
País/Región como asunto:
America do norte
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Inj Prev
Asunto de la revista:
PEDIATRIA
/
TRAUMATOLOGIA
Año:
2023
Tipo del documento:
Article
País de afiliación:
Estados Unidos