Prevalence of suicidal ideation, attempts, and completed suicide rate in Chinese aging populations: A systematic review

Abstract

Background As one of the leading causes of death around the world, suicide is a global public health threat. Due to the paucity of systematic studies, there exist vast variations in suicide ideation, attempts and suicide rates between various regions of Chinese aging communities. Objectives Our systematic study aims to 1) identify studies describing the epidemiology of suicidal ideation, suicide attempts and behaviors among global Chinese communities; 2) conduct systematic review of suicide prevalence; 3) provide cross-cultural insights on this public health issue in the diverse Chinese elderly in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Asian societies and Western countries. Data sources Using the PRISMA statement, we performed systematic review including studies describing suicidal ideation, attempts, and behavior among Chinese older adults in different communities. Literature searches were conducted by using both medical and social science data bases in English and Chinese. Results Forty-nine studies met inclusion criteria. Whereas suicide in Chinese aging population is a multifaceted issue, culturally appropriate and inter-disciplinary approach to improve the quality of life for the Chinese older adults is critical. Conclusions Future research is needed to explore the risk and protective factors associated with suicidal thoughts, attempts and behaviors in representative Chinese aging populations.

The moderating effect of social support on the relationship between physical health and suicidal thoughts among Chinese rural elderly: A nursing home sample

“…Compared with previous studies, the prevalence in this study (19.5%) was much higher than that among community‐dwelling elders in rural and urban China (2.2–16.7%; Simon et al . ). Because suicidal thoughts are a predictor for suicide, this finding indicated that Chinese rural institutional elders were at high risk of suicide.…”

“…; Simon et al . ). In China, the burden of elderly suicide is particularly significant in rural areas in which suicide rate is fivefold higher than that of urban regions (Chiu et al .…”

Suicide: Incidence or Prevalence? Comments on Hernández-Alvarado et al. Increase in Suicide Rates by Hanging in the Population of Tabasco, Mexico between 2003 and 2012. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2016, 13, 552

“…Of course, we could use “prevalence” to refer to “suicide ideation” [5], due to the fact that ideation could be studied in cross-sectional studies and could be maintained through long periods of time in some people. Although suicide ideation is not always present all the time, except in some severe episodes of major depression, I think that we can use the terms point prevalence, period prevalence or lifetime prevalence for suicide ideation, as some authors have done it [5], in order to identify people with any suicide ideation at one specific point, at a specified period or at any time in their life, respectively.…”

“…Although suicide ideation is not always present all the time, except in some severe episodes of major depression, I think that we can use the terms point prevalence, period prevalence or lifetime prevalence for suicide ideation, as some authors have done it [5], in order to identify people with any suicide ideation at one specific point, at a specified period or at any time in their life, respectively.…”

“…However, definitely when we are analyzing the changes of the suicide rate or in general when we refer to completed suicides, we should not use the concept of “prevalence”. For completed suicide, we can describe its incidence, incidence rates, or the completed suicide rate [5]. …”