Citation

Hidaka Y, Operario D, Takenaka M, Omori S, Ichikawa S, Shirasaka T. Soc. Psychiatry Psychiatr. Epidemiol. 2008; 43(9): 752-757.

Affiliation

Dept. of Global Health and Socio-epidemiology, Kyoto University School of Public Health, Yoshidakonoe-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto-shi, Kyoto, 606-8501, Japan, yass@kta.att.ne.jp.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2008, Holtzbrinck Springer Nature Publishing Group)

DOI

10.1007/s00127-008-0352-y

PMID

18488128

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Suicide is a major social and health issue in Japan. We assessed prevalence of attempted suicide and explored individual, interpersonal, behavioral, and psychological risk factors associated with attempted suicide in a general community sample of youth in a metropolitan Japanese city. METHOD: Survey of 2,095 participants age between 15 and 24 who were recruited using street-intercept techniques. RESULTS: Overall, 6% of males and 11% of females reported a prior suicide attempt. For males, attempted suicide was independently associated with experience of school bullying, being homosexual or bisexual, history of drug use, experience of unwanted sex, history of a diagnosed sexually transmitted infection, and low self-esteem. For females, attempted suicide was independently associated with being younger (ages 15-19 compared to 20-24), experience of school bullying, history of drug use, and history of smoking. CONCLUSION: Prevention intervention programs for youth in Japan are necessary to achieve national aims to reduce attempted suicides and suicide mortality.

Language: en