A population-based analysis of increasing rates of suicide mortality in Japan and South Korea, 1985–2010

Abstract

BackgroundIn the past two decades, rates of suicide mortality have declined among most OECD member states. Two notable exceptions are Japan and South Korea, where suicide mortality has increased by 20 % and 280 %, respectively.MethodsPopulation and suicide mortality data were collected through national statistics organizations in Japan and South Korea for the period 1985 to 2010. Age, period of observation, and birth cohort membership were divided into five-year increments. We fitted a series of intrinsic estimator age-period-cohort models to estimate the effects of age-related processes, secular changes, and birth cohort dynamics on the rising rates of suicide mortality in the two neighboring countries.ResultsIn Japan, elevated suicide rates are primarily driven by period effects, initiated during the Asian financial crisis of the late 1990s. In South Korea, multiple factors appear to be responsible for the stark increase in suicide mortality, including recent secular changes, elevated suicide risks at older ages in the context of an aging society, and strong cohort effects for those born between the Great Depression and the aftermath of the Korean War.ConclusionIn spite of cultural, demographic and geographic similarities in Japan and South Korea, the underlying causes of increased suicide mortality differ across these societies—suggesting that public health responses should be tailored to fit each country’s unique situation.

Sex-specific and age-specific suicide mortality by method in 58 countries between 2000 and 2015

“…Published studies suggest the increases may be explained by various factors, including economic recession,38 39widening income inequalities,40 increased unemployment41 and ease access to highly lethal methods like firearms. Birth cohort effects may also contribute, given cohort population exposures to the Great Depression and the Korean War 42…”

Influence of birth cohort, age and period on suicide mortality rate in Turkey, 1983-2013

“…An age-period-cohort model is a descriptive tool that allows for a comparison of the mortality of suicide with respect to age, cohort and year of diagnosis and provides an overview of the magnitude of the rates, variation with age and time trends in the rates (2,(9)(10)(11)(12). This study is the first research that studied ageperiod-cohort effects in Turkey, in which continuous variables and natural splines smoothing functions in statistical models were used.…”

“…Jeon (11) shows that period effects have increased in both South Korea and Japan since 1990. In Japan, between 1995 and 2000, which was also a period of economic crisis, period effects greatly increased.…”

Gastric cancer burden of last 40 years in North China (Hebei Province)

“…Therefore, we adopted the common method of an additional arbitrary reference constraint for the period effect. [13–15] In addition, the over 85-year age group, the periods of 2003 to 2007 and 2008 to 2013, and the birth cohort of 1908 to 1912 were chosen as reference groups.…”