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Suicide among children and adolescents in Canada: trends and sex differences, 1980–2008

April 6, 2012 Comments off

Suicide among children and adolescents in Canada: trends and sex differences, 1980–2008
Source: Canadian Medical Association Journal

Background: Suicide is the second leading cause of death for young Canadians (10–19 years of age) – a disturbing trend that has shown little improvement in recent years. Our objective was to examine suicide trends among Canadian children and adolescents.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of standardized suicide rates using Statistics Canada mortality data for the period spanning from 1980 to 2008. We analyzed the data by sex and by suicide method over time for two age groups: 10–14 year olds (children) and 15–19 year olds (adolescents). We quantified annual trends by calculating the average annual percent change (AAPC).

Results: We found an average annual decrease of 1.0% (95% confidence interval [CI] –1.5 to –0.4) in the suicide rate for children and adolescents, but stratification by age and sex showed significant variation. We saw an increase in suicide by suffocation among female children (AAPC = 8.1%, 95% CI 6.0 to 10.4) and adolescents (AAPC = 8.0%, 95% CI 6.2 to 9.8). In addition, we noted a decrease in suicides involving poisoning and firearms during the study period.

Interpretation: Our results show that suicide rates in Canada are increasing among female children and adolescents and decreasing among male children and adolescents. Limiting access to lethal means has some potential to mitigate risk. However, suffocation, which has become the predominant method for committing suicide for these age groups, is not amenable to this type of primary prevention.

+ Full Paper (PDF)

Categories: adolescents, Canada, Canadian Medical Association Journal, mental health and substance abuse, psychology and sociology

Effect of marriage on duration of chest pain associated with acute myocardial infarction before seeking care

July 20, 2011 Comments off

Effect of marriage on duration of chest pain associated with acute myocardial infarction before seeking care (PDF)
Source: Canadian Medical Association Journal

Among men experiencing acute myocardial infarction with chest pain, being married was associated with significantly earlier presentation for care, a benefit that was not observed for married women. Earlier presentation for medical care appears to be one reason for the observed lower risk of cardiovascular death among married men, relative to their single counterparts.

Categories: Canadian Medical Association Journal, cardiovascular disease, marriage and divorce, social and cultural issues
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