Elsevier

Journal of Adolescence

Volume 40, April 2015, Pages 74-77
Journal of Adolescence

Brief report: Sex differences in suicide rates and suicide methods among adolescents in South Korea, Japan, Finland, and the US

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2015.01.007Get rights and content

Highlights

  • Suicide rates and methods among adolescents were compared between four countries.

  • The sex ratio of suicides was higher in the US and Finland than in Korea and Japan.

  • Sex differences in suicide methods was prominent in the US and Finland.

  • In Korea and Japan, both male and female adolescents used similar methods of suicide.

  • Sex differences in suicide methods may contribute to the sex ratio of suicides.

Abstract

Sex differences in suicide rates and suicide methods was compared among adolescents in South Korea, Japan, Finland, and the United States. This study analyzed suicide rates and suicide methods of adolescents aged 15–19 years in four countries, using the World Health Organization mortality database. Among both male and female adolescents, the most common method of suicide was jumping from heights in South Korea and hanging in Japan. In Finland, jumping in front of moving objects and firearms were frequently used by males, but not by females. In the United States, males were more likely to use firearms, and females were more likely to use poison. The male to female ratio of suicide rates was higher in the United States (3.8) and Finland (3.6) than in Korea (1.3) and Japan (1.9). Sex differences in suicide methods may contribute to differences in the suicide rates among males and female adolescents in different countries.

Section snippets

Methods

Data on suicide rates and suicide methods were obtained from the World Health Organization (WHO) mortality database (WHO., 2013). The most recent data were from 2011 for South Korea, Japan, and Finland, and 2010 for the US. The numbers of suicides of adolescents aged 15–19 years were 317 among 3,544,699 population in South Korea, 509 among 6,009,000 population in Japan, 43 among 329,926 population in Finland, and 1658 among 2,1086,000 population in the US. Suicide methods were classified into

Suicide rates according to sex and countries

Suicide rates according to sex and countries are illustrated in Fig. 1. For all four countries, the suicide rates of males were higher than those of females. The suicide rates of males were higher than those of females in all countries. The sex ratio (male: female) of suicide rates was 3.8 for the US, 3.6 for Finland, 1.9 for Japan, and 1.3 for South Korea.

Comparison of suicide methods across countries

Suicide methods according to sex and country are presented in Fig. 2. Among male adolescents, jumping from high places was the most common

Discussion

The male-to-female suicide ratio was higher in the US and Finland, where sex differences in suicide methods was more prominent, than in Korea and Japan. The prevalence of lethal methods of suicide may be reflected in the suicide rates in each country and in men versus women.

Firearms, one of the most lethal suicide methods with over 80% case fatality (Shenassa, Catlin, & Buka, 2003), might be associated with a high male: female ratio in the US and Finland, whereas suicide by firearms was more

Acknowledgment

This study was supported by the Jeon Sang-Bae Child and Adolescent Research Fund of Korean Neuropsychiatry Research Foundation in 2014.

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