The Suicide Studies Research Unit, Keenan Research Centre, Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute of St. Michael's Hospital, Toronto, ON.
Can J Public Health. 2012 May-Jun;103(3):213-7. doi: 10.1007/BF03403815.
We examined whether established sex differences in suicide rates persist when adjustments are made for potential misclassification of deaths in children and youth.
This is a retrospective, descriptive study of 1294 suicides, 961 accidental and 254 undetermined deaths occurring between January 1, 2000 and December 31, 2007, among persons aged 10 to 25 years in Ontario, Canada. Using data from Coroner's records, causes of death were reclassified based on two different misclassification criteria. Actual and reclassified suicide rates were calculated by sex and age group (with 95% confidence intervals) and by year of death.
Males aged 16-25 years accounted for the majority of suicides (68.9%). Asphyxia was the most common cause of suicide in both sexes. While suicides by shooting were almost exclusive to males, suicides due to alcohol/drug toxicity were significantly higher in females. Both before and after reclassification of suicide deaths, sex differences in suicide rates emerged in the 16-25 years age group. In each study year, both actual and reclassified suicide rates were higher in males than females.
Sex differences in suicide rates emerging in adolescence are unlikely to be due to misclassification. Other proposed explanations for sex differences in youth suicide rates should be investigated further.
本研究旨在探讨在对儿童和青少年死亡的潜在误分类进行调整后，自杀率是否仍存在既定的性别差异。
这是一项回顾性描述性研究，研究对象为 2000 年 1 月 1 日至 2007 年 12 月 31 日期间在加拿大安大略省 10 至 25 岁人群中的 1294 例自杀、961 例意外死亡和 254 例原因不明死亡。本研究使用验尸官记录中的数据，根据两种不同的误分类标准重新分类死因。通过性别和年龄组（95%置信区间）以及死亡年份计算实际自杀率和重新分类后的自杀率。
16-25 岁男性占自杀者的大多数（68.9%）。无论性别，窒息均为自杀的最常见原因。枪击自杀几乎仅见于男性，而酒精/药物中毒自杀则在女性中明显更为常见。在对自杀死亡进行重新分类之前和之后，16-25 岁年龄组的自杀率性别差异均存在。在每个研究年份中，男性的实际自杀率和重新分类后的自杀率均高于女性。
青春期出现的自杀率性别差异不太可能归因于误分类。应进一步调查其他解释青少年自杀率性别差异的假说。
