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Article: The contribution of charcoal burning to the rise and decline of suicides in Hong Kong from 1997-2007

TitleThe contribution of charcoal burning to the rise and decline of suicides in Hong Kong from 1997-2007
Authors
KeywordsCarbon monoxide poisoning
Charcoal burning
Method substitution
Restriction to means
Suicide
Suicide prevention
Issue Date2011
PublisherSpringer Medizin. The Journal's web site is located at http://www.springer.com/steinkopff/psychiatrie/journal/127
Citation
Social Psychiatry And Psychiatric Epidemiology, 2011, v. 46 n. 9, p. 797-803 How to Cite?
AbstractBackground: There has been scant research exploring the relationship between choice of method (means) of self-inflicted death, and broader social or contextual factors. The recent emergence and growth of suicide using carbon monoxide poisoning resulting from burning charcoal in an enclosed space (hereafter, "charcoal burning") was related to an increase in the overall suicide rate in Hong Kong. The growth of this method coincided with changing economic conditions. This paper expands upon previous work to explore possible relationships further. Purpose: This study aims to discern the role of charcoal burning in overall suicide rate transition during times of both economic recession and expansion, as captured in the unemployment rate of Hong Kong, and to examine whether there was evidence of an effect from means-substitution. Methods: Age and gender specific suicide rates in Hong Kong by suicide methods from 1997 to 2007 were calculated. To model the transition of suicide rate by different methods, Poisson regression analyses were employed. Results: Charcoal burning constituted 18.3% of all suicides, 88% of which involved individuals drawn from the middle years (25-59) of life. During both periods of rising and declining unemployment, charcoal burning played an important role in the changing suicide rates, and this effect was most prominent among for those in their middle years. Means-substitution was found among the married women during the period of rate advancement (1997-2003). Conclusions: Compared to others, working-age adults preferentially selected carbon monoxide poisoning from charcoal burning. © 2010 Springer-Verlag.
Persistent Identifierhttp://hdl.handle.net/10722/142593
ISSN
2023 Impact Factor: 3.6
2023 SCImago Journal Rankings: 1.780
ISI Accession Number ID
Funding AgencyGrant Number
University of Hong Kong200807176182
NIHP20 MH071897
D43 TW005814
Funding Information:

This work was supported in part by a University of Hong Kong Post-doctoral Fellowship and Small Project Funding (200807176182), (CK Law, PI) and in part by NIH grants P20 MH071897 (E.D. Caine, PI) and D43 TW005814 (E.D. Caine, PI). The authors would like to thank the two reviewers and the editor for their valuable comments and suggestions on this article.

References

 

DC FieldValueLanguage
dc.contributor.authorLaw, CKen_HK
dc.contributor.authorYip, PSFen_HK
dc.contributor.authorCaine, EDen_HK
dc.date.accessioned2011-10-28T02:52:22Z-
dc.date.available2011-10-28T02:52:22Z-
dc.date.issued2011en_HK
dc.identifier.citationSocial Psychiatry And Psychiatric Epidemiology, 2011, v. 46 n. 9, p. 797-803en_HK
dc.identifier.issn0933-7954en_HK
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10722/142593-
dc.description.abstractBackground: There has been scant research exploring the relationship between choice of method (means) of self-inflicted death, and broader social or contextual factors. The recent emergence and growth of suicide using carbon monoxide poisoning resulting from burning charcoal in an enclosed space (hereafter, "charcoal burning") was related to an increase in the overall suicide rate in Hong Kong. The growth of this method coincided with changing economic conditions. This paper expands upon previous work to explore possible relationships further. Purpose: This study aims to discern the role of charcoal burning in overall suicide rate transition during times of both economic recession and expansion, as captured in the unemployment rate of Hong Kong, and to examine whether there was evidence of an effect from means-substitution. Methods: Age and gender specific suicide rates in Hong Kong by suicide methods from 1997 to 2007 were calculated. To model the transition of suicide rate by different methods, Poisson regression analyses were employed. Results: Charcoal burning constituted 18.3% of all suicides, 88% of which involved individuals drawn from the middle years (25-59) of life. During both periods of rising and declining unemployment, charcoal burning played an important role in the changing suicide rates, and this effect was most prominent among for those in their middle years. Means-substitution was found among the married women during the period of rate advancement (1997-2003). Conclusions: Compared to others, working-age adults preferentially selected carbon monoxide poisoning from charcoal burning. © 2010 Springer-Verlag.en_HK
dc.languageengen_US
dc.publisherSpringer Medizin. The Journal's web site is located at http://www.springer.com/steinkopff/psychiatrie/journal/127 en_HK
dc.relation.ispartofSocial Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiologyen_HK
dc.rightsThe original publication is available at www.springerlink.com-
dc.subjectCarbon monoxide poisoningen_HK
dc.subjectCharcoal burningen_HK
dc.subjectMethod substitutionen_HK
dc.subjectRestriction to meansen_HK
dc.subjectSuicideen_HK
dc.subjectSuicide preventionen_HK
dc.subject.meshCarbon Monoxide Poisoning - economics - mortality-
dc.subject.meshCharcoal - economics-
dc.subject.meshCoal - economics - poisoning-
dc.subject.meshHong Kong - epidemiology-
dc.subject.meshSuicide - economics - trends-
dc.titleThe contribution of charcoal burning to the rise and decline of suicides in Hong Kong from 1997-2007en_HK
dc.typeArticleen_HK
dc.identifier.emailYip, PSF: sfpyip@hku.hken_HK
dc.identifier.authorityYip, PSF=rp00596en_HK
dc.description.naturelink_to_subscribed_fulltext-
dc.identifier.doi10.1007/s00127-010-0250-yen_HK
dc.identifier.pmid20574845-
dc.identifier.scopuseid_2-s2.0-80052316560en_HK
dc.identifier.hkuros197388en_US
dc.identifier.hkuros178291en_US
dc.relation.referenceshttp://www.scopus.com/mlt/select.url?eid=2-s2.0-80052316560&selection=ref&src=s&origin=recordpageen_HK
dc.identifier.volume46en_HK
dc.identifier.issue9en_HK
dc.identifier.spage797en_HK
dc.identifier.epage803en_HK
dc.identifier.isiWOS:000293949100001-
dc.publisher.placeGermanyen_HK
dc.identifier.scopusauthoridLaw, CK=26027038700en_HK
dc.identifier.scopusauthoridYip, PSF=7102503720en_HK
dc.identifier.scopusauthoridCaine, ED=7004971707en_HK
dc.identifier.citeulike7412942-
dc.identifier.issnl0933-7954-

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