The Age-Period-Cohort trends of suicide in Hong Kong and Taiwan, 1979-2018

Yip, Paul S. F.; Yang, Chi-Ting; Pinkney, Edward

doi:10.1016/j.jad.2021.08.084

Cited by 17 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…The increasing youth suicide rate over the past 10 years in Taiwan has been reported previously ( Chen et al, 2021 ). The pandemic did not seem to affect this trend, and further investigations are required urgently to understand the reasons underlying this trend, and to put actions in place to avert the crisis of the potentially-avoidable loss of young lives.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 54%

The increase in suicide risk in older adults in Taiwan during the COVID-19 outbreak

Yang¹,

Yip²

2023

Journal of Affective Disorders

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 54%

The increase in suicide risk in older adults in Taiwan during the COVID-19 outbreak

Yang¹,

Yip²

2023

Journal of Affective Disorders

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“…Hong Kong has undergone both civil unrest and COVID-19 pandemic in the past years and these events act as societal stressors and predispose citizens to elevated levels of mental distress ( 1 ). Suicidal behavior (SB) is a leading cause of death among youths and young adults in Hong Kong ( 2 ). SB in adolescents and young adults is a global challenge that carries clinical relevance to various socio-economic factors ( 3 ) and reduced life expectancy ( 4 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Psychometric properties of the Patient Health Questionnaire-4 among Hong Kong young adults in 2021: Associations with meaning in life and suicidal ideation

Fong

Yip

2023

Front. Psychiatry

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BackgroundYoung adults in Hong Kong are subject to elevated psychological distress given the societal stressors such as civil unrest and COVID-19 pandemic and suicide is a leading cause of death among them. The present study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties and measurement invariance of the 4-item Patient Health Questionnaire-4 (PHQ-4) as a brief measure of psychological distress and its associations with meaning in life and suicidal ideation (SI) in young adults.Materials and methodsA mobile survey recruited a large and random sample of 1,472 young adults (Mean age = 26.3 years, 51.8% males) in Hong Kong in 2021. The participants completed the PHQ-4 and Meaning in Life Questionnaire–short form (MLQ-SF) for presence of meaning in life (MIL), SI, COVID-19 impact, and exposure to suicide. Confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to examine the factorial validity, reliability, and measurement invariance of PHQ-4 and MLQ-SF across gender, age, and distress subgroups. Multigroup structural equation model evaluated and compared the direct and indirect effects of latent MIL factor on SI via latent PHQ-4 factor across distress groups.ResultsBoth MIL and PHQ-4 supported a 1-factor model with good composite reliability (Ω = 0.80–0.86) and strong factor loadings (λ = 0.65–0.88). Both factors showed scalar invariance across gender, age, and distress groups. MIL showed significant and negative indirect effects (αβ = −0.196, 95% CI = −0.254 to −0.144) on SI via PHQ-4. PHQ-4 showed a stronger mediating role between MIL and SI in the distress group (Δ = −0.146, 95% CI = −0.252 to −0.049) than the non-distress group. Higher MIL predicted higher likelihoods of help-seeking (Odds ratios = 1.46, 95% CI = 1.14–1.88).ConclusionThe present results support adequate psychometric properties in terms of factorial validity, reliability, convergent validity, and measurement invariance for the PHQ-4 in young adults in Hong Kong. The PHQ-4 demonstrated a substantial mediating role in the relationship between meaning in life and SI in the distress group. These findings support clinical relevance for using the PHQ-4 as a brief and valid measure of psychological distress in the Chinese context.

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“…Debunking this myth about how charcoal-burning works might be a way to reduce its popularity (e.g., death by burning charcoal is not peaceful as people choke). A recent rise in youth suicides in urban and metropolitan areas has been observed (Chen, Yang, et al, 2021) in Taiwan. The reason for the increase was not well-understood, but it was not related to the adoption of charcoal-burning suicide.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Examining the Spread of Charcoal-Burning Suicide in Taiwan

Chen,

Yang,

Wong

et al. 2024

Crisis

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Background: Charcoal-burning has become a predominant method of suicide in many East-Asian countries since the 1990s. Aims: To explore charcoal-burning suicide trends from 1996 to 2020 in Taiwan. Methods: Joinpoint regression models were applied to identify suicide trends over the study period. Decompositional analyses quantified the contributions of age, sex, suicide method, and area of residence to suicide rate trends, accounting for age and geographical distribution of the general population, with a focus on charcoal-burning suicide. Results: There were three stages of suicide rate trends: increasing (1996–2006), descending (2006–2011), and levelling-off (2011–2020). Suicide by charcoal-burning accounted for 70% of the increasing suicide rates between 1996 and 2006 and 50% of the decreasing rates in the descending stage (2011–2020). During the levelling-off stage, suicide by charcoal-burning continued to decrease, albeit slowly. During the descending stage, there was a partial “substitution” of jumping for charcoal-burning. During the levelling-off stage, suicide by hanging partially “substituted” for suicide by charcoal-burning. Limitations: The variables included were limited by data availability. Conclusions: Charcoal-burning remains the second most common method of suicide in Taiwan today. Charcoal-burning has been partially replaced in the last 10 years by jumping and hanging. Monitoring suicide methods and trends is essential for suicide prevention interventions.

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The Age-Period-Cohort trends of suicide in Hong Kong and Taiwan, 1979-2018

Cited by 17 publications

References 28 publications

The increase in suicide risk in older adults in Taiwan during the COVID-19 outbreak

The increase in suicide risk in older adults in Taiwan during the COVID-19 outbreak

Psychometric properties of the Patient Health Questionnaire-4 among Hong Kong young adults in 2021: Associations with meaning in life and suicidal ideation

Examining the Spread of Charcoal-Burning Suicide in Taiwan

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