engleski

War longlasting influence to suicide characteristics

Introduction. Aim of the study was to investigate the incidence and characteristics of suicides in the Zagreb District in Croatia, representative of a typical European urban center, after the war. Data from the 1996–2005 period after the war (AW) were compared with data from the 1986–1990 period before the war (BW) and 1991–1995 period during the war (DW). Methods. Epidemiological data on suicides in AW period were collected from the autopsy records from the Department of Forensic Medicine and Criminology at the School of medicine, University of Zagreb. Data from BW and DW periods were acquired from the paper previously published in Croat Med J 1997 ; 38:59-63. Data were compared using chi-square test. Results. During the ten-year AW period 1, 859 suicides were post mortem examined (185 suicides per year), compared to 182 suicides per year in BW period and 208 suicides per year in DW period. Male predominance with 2.9:1 male:female ratio was observed in AW period, with no statistical significance in comparison with 2.5:1 in BW and 2.7:1 in DW periods. Although not significant, increase of male proportion during this 20-year period might be observed. Considerable proportion of suicide victims belongs to 30–49 and 50–69 age groups, 29% and 34.3% respectively, with no significant difference among study periods (p=0, 083). Pattern of suicides in AW period still reveals hanging as a dominant method and the firearm usage as a second frequent method to commit a suicide. Significant decrease in hanging proportion was observed in DW (46.3%) and AW (49.6%) periods compared to proportion in BW period (57.4% ; p<0.001). Firearm suicides were found in significantly higher proportions in DW (22.8%) and AW (19.4%) period compared to the BW period (12.3% ; p<0.001). There was 5, 5% of suicides committed using explosive devices in DW period and 2.9% in AW period. Significant decrease using explosive devices is obvious (p<0.001). It has to be noted that no suicides of that kind were observed during the BW period. Conclusion. No difference in frequency, sex and age pattern of suicides committed during three study periods was observed, but was found for the suicide method. Although hanging is most used suicide method in all three periods, suicides committed by firearms and explosive devices, related to the war, have still noted proportions.

suicide; method; war; Croatia

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