Martínez-Rives Noelia L, Babu Hellen W, Kotera Yasuhiro, Martin Pilar, Colman Rory D, Gilmour Stuart
Department of Psychiatry and Social Psychology, University of Murcia, 30100 Murcia, Spain.
Graduate School of Public Health, St. Luke's International University, Tokyo 104-0045, Japan.
Healthcare (Basel). 2025 Feb 20;13(5):451. doi: 10.3390/healthcare13050451.
Suicide is a significant public health issue globally. The patterns and disparities in suicide rates may have changed with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Using epidemiological comparative studies, we can identify how suicide incidence is influenced by risk factors such as personal pressures and social support. This study analyses Spanish suicide data during the period from 2017 to 2022 and compares them with previously analysed data from Japan, with the aim of exploring the variability in suicide distribution in both countries.
We used a retrospective observational design with national-level suicide data from Spain to estimate trends in suicide mortality over this period and compared these data with previously analysed data from Japan.
In Spain, no significant changes in suicide rates were found before and after the pandemic period, but notable monthly variations occurred at the pandemic's onset in the youngest age group, highlighting the increase use of poisoning among women until 2020. In Japan, a notable variation was found following the pandemic. Specifically, older age groups and younger women were at higher suicide risk, while the suicide risk transitioned from younger to older ages between 2020 and 2021 among men. These changes are likely attributed to exacerbated socio-economic factors. A similar trend was observed in both countries based on sex with a different influence noted for women.
This study offers detailed insight into the patterns and circumstances of suicide in these countries, offering a basis for future interventions and preventive measures. These comparisons emphasize the critical nature of suicide and underline the necessity for enhanced prevention efforts.
自杀是全球一个重大的公共卫生问题。自杀率的模式和差异可能随着新冠疫情的爆发而发生了变化。通过流行病学比较研究，我们可以确定个人压力和社会支持等风险因素如何影响自杀发生率。本研究分析了2017年至2022年期间西班牙的自杀数据，并将其与之前分析的日本数据进行比较，旨在探索两国自杀分布的变异性。
我们采用回顾性观察设计，利用西班牙的国家级自杀数据来估计这一时期自杀死亡率的趋势，并将这些数据与之前分析的日本数据进行比较。
在西班牙，疫情期间前后自杀率没有显著变化，但在疫情开始时最年轻年龄组出现了明显的月度波动，突出了直到2020年女性中毒使用率的增加。在日本，疫情后发现了显著变化。具体而言，老年群体和年轻女性的自杀风险较高，而在男性中，2020年至2021年期间自杀风险从年轻群体向老年群体转变。这些变化可能归因于社会经济因素的加剧。基于性别，两国观察到了类似趋势，但对女性的影响有所不同。
本研究提供了对这些国家自杀模式和情况的详细洞察，为未来的干预措施和预防措施提供了依据。这些比较强调了自杀问题的严重性，并强调了加强预防工作的必要性。
