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This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) All Versions of this Article: AJPH.2005.077420v1 AJPH.2005.077420v2 97/10/1842    most recent Submit a response Purchase Article View Shopping Cart Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in ISI Web of Science Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Conner, K. R. Articles by Meldrum, S. C. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Conner, K. R. Articles by Meldrum, S. C. Related Collections Epidemiology Injury/Emergency Care/Violence Prevention

Kenneth R. Conner, PsyD, MPH, Michael R. Phillips, MD, MPH and Sean C. Meldrum, MS

Kenneth R. Conner is with the Department of Psychiatry and Center for the Study and Prevention of Suicide, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY. Michael R. Phillips is with the Beijing Suicide Research and Prevention Center, Beijing Hui Long Guan Hospital, Beijing, China. Sean C. Meldrum is with the Department of Family Medicine, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester.

Correspondence: Requests for reprints should be sent to Kenneth R. Conner, PsyD, MPH, University of Rochester Medical Center, 300 Crittenden Blvd, Rochester, NY 14642, (e-mail: kenneth_conner{at}urmc.rochester.edu).

Objectives. Acts of suicide are heterogeneous with respect to level of intent. Data on correlates of intent are overwhelmingly from Western samples. We sought to identify correlates of low-intent and high-intent suicide attempts in China.

Methods. We compared 277 adult case patients who presented to the emergency department in a rural hospital because of attempted suicide to 277 community control individuals, pair-matched for age, gender, and location of residence. Attempted suicides were stratified into 3 levels of suicide intent: low, intermediate, and high. Paired logistic regression analyses were used to analyze the data.

Results. High-intent acts of suicide were associated with major depression, chronic stress, and a relative or associate who had a history of suicidal behavior. These correlates were not associated with low-intent acts of suicide.

Conclusions. High-intent acts of suicide in China are the culmination of longstanding difficulties or symptoms including depression, chronic stress, and previous exposure to suicidal behavior. Prevention of high-intent acts of suicide should include a focus on these domains.