Comparison of suicidal behavior characteristics between rural young male and female completed suicides

ObjectiveTo compare the characteristics of suicidal behavior between rural young male and female completed suicides.MethodsFrom 16 counties or county-level cities in Liaoning,Shandong,and Hunan provinces,we consecutively sampled randomly 392 completed suicides aged 15-34 years.We used psychological autopsy method to investigate 784 informants of the 392 completed suicides with face-to-face interviews.ResultsThe peak suicide periods for male suicides were from 30th April to 16th July,while for female suicides they were from 21th June to 21th September.The peak suicide time for male suicides was from 11:21 am to 3:49 pm,while for female suicides was from 11:03 am to 1:56 pm.Compared to male suicides,the female suicides were more likely to commit suicide indoor(χ²=3.91,P<0.05)and use a moderate method(ingestion of poison)for suicide(χ²=7.27,P<0.01).Both the male and female suicides had medium suicidal intents (8.40±3.33 for male,8.13±3.23 for female),but there was no significant gender difference(t=0.81,P>0.05).However, female suicides had significantly less preparation than their counterparts before suicidal behavior(χ²=6.54,P<0.05).ConclusionThere are certain differences in suicidal behaviors between Chinese rural young men and women.