Osaka School of International Public Policy, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan.
Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan.
Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol. 2022 Aug;57(8):1571-1578. doi: 10.1007/s00127-021-02188-5. Epub 2021 Nov 12.
The underreporting of suicides has been a serious global concern among scholars and policymakers. Several studies have sought to detect the prevalence of underreporting by examining whether suicide mortality rates are negatively correlated with those due to unknown intent or causes. This study adds to the literature by examining the potential underreporting of suicides in Japan, where suicide rates have greatly declined in the recent years.
We compiled subnational data from 47 prefectures between 1995 and 2016, obtained from Vital Statistics of Japan. We examined whether (1) mortality rates due to unknown intent or causes increased as suicide rates decreased; and (2) major socioeconomic causes of suicide (unemployment and divorce rates) had any relationship with the deaths due to unknown intent or causes.
Our analysis indicates that mortality rates due to unknown intent or causes were uncorrelated with suicide rates and the above socioeconomic indicators.
In Japan, the frequency of suicides has no systematic relationship with deaths due to unknown intent or causes, suggesting the accuracy of suicide statistics.
自杀漏报一直是学者和政策制定者关注的一个严重的全球性问题。一些研究试图通过检查自杀死亡率与意图不明或原因不明的死亡率是否呈负相关来检测漏报的普遍性。本研究通过考察近年来自杀率大幅下降的日本可能存在的自杀漏报情况，为文献增添了新的内容。
我们从日本人口动态统计数据库中收集了 1995 年至 2016 年期间 47 个都道府县的次国家级数据。我们检验了（1）意图不明或原因不明的死亡率是否随着自杀率的下降而上升；以及（2）自杀的主要社会经济原因（失业率和离婚率）与意图不明或原因不明的死亡率是否存在任何关系。
我们的分析表明，意图不明或原因不明的死亡率与自杀率以及上述社会经济指标没有相关性。
在日本，自杀的频率与意图不明或原因不明的死亡率之间没有系统的关系，这表明自杀统计数据的准确性。
