Socio-demography of suicide among adolescents and young adults in argentina, 1999-2007

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Suicide is the fourth leading cause of death for people aged 15-24 in Argentina. At these early ages, this phenomenon is particularly tragic due to the loss of a young life, the enormous emotional impact on the environment and the potential years of life lost. OBJECTIVE: To explore some socio-demographic aspects (gender and place of residence) of suicide among adolescents (aged 15-19) and young adults (aged 20-24) in Argentina during 1999-2007. METHODS: Data on suicide deaths were obtained from vital statistics of the Argentine Ministry of Health by age, gender and place of residence. Population estimates and projections were those published by the Statistics and Census National Institute (INDEC). Rates of suicide among adolescents and young adults were analyzed for the whole period and according to gender, province and region by three-year periods. RESULTS: The average rate of suicide among people aged 15 to 24 resulted in 10.7 per 100,000 inhabitants (9.7 in adolescents and 11.7 in young adults). In Patagonia, the rates were higher than in the rest of the country. There was an inverse epidemiologic relationship: the lower the population density, the higher the suicide rates. CONCLUSIONS: The population group most at risk is young people. The risk of suicide increases as population density and service coverage get lower.