Background: The gender ratio (male/female) of suicide rates greatly differs by country and by age group. These differences are accompanied by differences in the use of violent methods of suicide.
Methods: The gender ratio of suicide rates and the methods used were calculated from the most recently available official electronic mortality data published by the four countries (two Eastern (Korea and Japan) and two Western (Australia and the United states) countries) and from the World Health Organization [WHO] mortality database. Suicide gender ratios based on 95% Confidence intervals (CIs) were used to compare the countries between age groups.
Results: The gender ratio of suicide rates was higher in the United States (3.9) and Australia (3.3), where gender differences in suicide methods were more prominent, than in Korea (1.8) and Japan (2.7). In the United States and Australia, the gender ratios greatly increased in the elderly (age 70 years and over), with a higher use of firearms by men. The gender ratio of suicide rates was lowest (1.0) in the young (age 20-29) in Korea, where hanging was a more common method in women than in men.
Limitations: The study does not consider the various other factors that may have influenced gender differences of suicide rate.
Conclusions: These findings suggest that differences in suicide methods play a role in determining the differences in the gender ratio of suicide rates between countries. Because suicide methods varied with gender, age, and country and may play a role in the suicide rates of each group, these parameters should be taken into account in the design of suicide prevention measures.
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