Exploring characteristics of increased suicide during the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan using provisional governmental data
Summary: Background: The Japanese age-standardised death rate of suicide (SDR) had decreased during 2009–2019, but increased in 2020–2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: This study aimed to explain the trend change in the SDR during the pandemic, disaggregated by prefecture, gender, suicide...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2022-07-01
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| Series: | The Lancet Regional Health. Western Pacific |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666606522000967 |
| _version_ | 1818209290295443456 |
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| author | Motohiro Okada Ryusuke Matsumoto Eishi Motomura Takashi Shiroyama Masahiko Murata |
| author_facet | Motohiro Okada Ryusuke Matsumoto Eishi Motomura Takashi Shiroyama Masahiko Murata |
| author_sort | Motohiro Okada |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Summary: Background: The Japanese age-standardised death rate of suicide (SDR) had decreased during 2009–2019, but increased in 2020–2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: This study aimed to explain the trend change in the SDR during the pandemic, disaggregated by prefecture, gender, suicide method and household, as compared to predicted SDR derived from pre-pandemic data, using linear mixed-effect and hierarchical linear regression models with robust standard error analyses. Findings: The SDR was lower during March–June 2020 (during the first wave of the pandemic), but higher during July–December 2020 than the predicted SDR. In 2021, males’ SDR was nearly equal to the predicted SDR, whereas females’ SDR in the metropolitan-region (17.5%: 95% confidence interval: 13.9–21.2%) and non-metropolitan-region (24.7%: 95% confidence interval: 22.8–26.7%) continued to be higher than the predicted SDR. These gender- and region-dependent temporal fluctuations of SDR were synchronised with those of SDRs caused by hanging, at home and single-person-households. Additionally, the rising number of infected patients with the SARS-CoV-2 and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) diagnostic examinations were positively (β = 0.024) and negatively (β =-0.002) related to the SDR during the pandemic, respectively. Interpretation: Japanese suicide statistics have previously established that the predominant method and place of suicide were by hanging and at the individual's home, respectively. The present findings suggest that transformed lifestyles during the pandemic, increasing time spent at home, enhanced the suicide risk of Japanese people by hanging and at home. Funding: Regional Suicide Countermeasures Emergency Enhancement Fund of Mie Prefecture (2021–40). |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-12T04:58:21Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-2e541b91db054474873622f967fdc996 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2666-6065 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-12T04:58:21Z |
| publishDate | 2022-07-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | The Lancet Regional Health. Western Pacific |
| spelling | doaj.art-2e541b91db054474873622f967fdc9962022-12-22T00:37:17ZengElsevierThe Lancet Regional Health. Western Pacific2666-60652022-07-0124100481Exploring characteristics of increased suicide during the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan using provisional governmental dataMotohiro Okada0Ryusuke Matsumoto1Eishi Motomura2Takashi Shiroyama3Masahiko Murata4Department of Neuropsychiatry, Division of Neuroscience, Graduate School of Medicine, Mie University, Tsu 514-8507, Japan; Corresponding author.Department of Neuropsychiatry, Division of Neuroscience, Graduate School of Medicine, Mie University, Tsu 514-8507, JapanDepartment of Neuropsychiatry, Division of Neuroscience, Graduate School of Medicine, Mie University, Tsu 514-8507, JapanDepartment of Neuropsychiatry, Division of Neuroscience, Graduate School of Medicine, Mie University, Tsu 514-8507, JapanDepartment of Psychiatry, National Hospital Organization Sakakibara Hospital, 777 Sakakibara, Tsu, Mie 514-1292, JapanSummary: Background: The Japanese age-standardised death rate of suicide (SDR) had decreased during 2009–2019, but increased in 2020–2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: This study aimed to explain the trend change in the SDR during the pandemic, disaggregated by prefecture, gender, suicide method and household, as compared to predicted SDR derived from pre-pandemic data, using linear mixed-effect and hierarchical linear regression models with robust standard error analyses. Findings: The SDR was lower during March–June 2020 (during the first wave of the pandemic), but higher during July–December 2020 than the predicted SDR. In 2021, males’ SDR was nearly equal to the predicted SDR, whereas females’ SDR in the metropolitan-region (17.5%: 95% confidence interval: 13.9–21.2%) and non-metropolitan-region (24.7%: 95% confidence interval: 22.8–26.7%) continued to be higher than the predicted SDR. These gender- and region-dependent temporal fluctuations of SDR were synchronised with those of SDRs caused by hanging, at home and single-person-households. Additionally, the rising number of infected patients with the SARS-CoV-2 and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) diagnostic examinations were positively (β = 0.024) and negatively (β =-0.002) related to the SDR during the pandemic, respectively. Interpretation: Japanese suicide statistics have previously established that the predominant method and place of suicide were by hanging and at the individual's home, respectively. The present findings suggest that transformed lifestyles during the pandemic, increasing time spent at home, enhanced the suicide risk of Japanese people by hanging and at home. Funding: Regional Suicide Countermeasures Emergency Enhancement Fund of Mie Prefecture (2021–40).http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666606522000967Suicide mortalityCOVID-19JapanPrefectureGender |
| spellingShingle | Motohiro Okada Ryusuke Matsumoto Eishi Motomura Takashi Shiroyama Masahiko Murata Exploring characteristics of increased suicide during the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan using provisional governmental data The Lancet Regional Health. Western Pacific Suicide mortality COVID-19 Japan Prefecture Gender |
| title | Exploring characteristics of increased suicide during the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan using provisional governmental data |
| title_full | Exploring characteristics of increased suicide during the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan using provisional governmental data |
| title_fullStr | Exploring characteristics of increased suicide during the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan using provisional governmental data |
| title_full_unstemmed | Exploring characteristics of increased suicide during the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan using provisional governmental data |
| title_short | Exploring characteristics of increased suicide during the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan using provisional governmental data |
| title_sort | exploring characteristics of increased suicide during the covid 19 pandemic in japan using provisional governmental data |
| topic | Suicide mortality COVID-19 Japan Prefecture Gender |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666606522000967 |
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