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Characteristics of Completed Suicides: Implications of Differences Among Methods
Author(s) -
Fischer Ellen P.,
Comstock George W.,
Monk Mary A.,
Sencer David J.
Publication year - 1993
Publication title -
suicide and life‐threatening behavior
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.544
H-Index - 90
eISSN - 1943-278X
pISSN - 0363-0234
DOI - 10.1111/j.1943-278x.1993.tb00373.x
Subject(s) - jumping , logistic regression , suicide rates , suicide prevention , psychology , mental health , demography , poison control , medicine , environmental health , psychiatry , sociology , physiology
Approximately 30% of suicides in New York City are the result of jumping from a height. After describing jumping suicides and jumping sites, we used polychotomous logistic regression to compare the characteristics of suicides by jumping to those of individuals committing suicide by hanging, ingestion, or shooting. Method used was significantly associated with sociodemographics, occupation, and mental health status, even after adjustment for individual access to the means of committing suicide. Our finding of an independent association between personal characteristics and method used provides strong evidence for the hypothesis that controlling access to an agent of suicide can influence overall suicide rates, at least in the short term. Study results support the introduction of preventive programs to control access to commonly employed agents of suicide.