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Hotel Room Suicide
Author(s) -
Zarkowski Paul,
Avery David
Publication year - 2006
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 - 10.1521/suli.2006.36.5.578
Subject(s) - incidence (geometry) , medical examiner , medicine , population , suicide prevention , environmental health , demography , medical emergency , poison control , geography , sociology , physics , optics
The objective of our research was to quantify the increased risk of suicide associated with registering in local hotels/motels. Medical examiner case files of suicide in King County, Washington, were reviewed for years 2002–2004. The incidence of suicide in local residents registering in local hotels/motels was 223/100,000, which is significantly greater than the incidence of suicide in the general population of King County (11.7/100,000, p < 0.0001). Hotel/motel guests from outside Washington had a significantly reduced incidence of suicide (3.9/100,000, p = 0.002). The study results suggest that there is an increased risk of suicide in local residents who register in local hotel rooms.