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Suicide in Singapore: a changing sex ratio over the last decade
Aim Of Study:
To examine for any change in the sex ratio of suicides in Singapore over the last decade.
Methods:
Data on suicides in Singapore for the decade 1989-98 were examined, both as an overall set and as four age-based sub-groups.
Results:
The male to female ratio increased significantly over the decade, contributed to most distinctly by changed rates in young adults (ie a group defined as 29-40 years). The changed sex ratio appeared limited to Chinese subjects, where the suicide rate/100,000 population was consistently higher than for the non-Chinese. The changed ratio appeared more to reflect an absolute decrease in female suicides rather than any distinct absolute increase in male suicides.
Conclusions:
The previous distinct male preponderance in suicide,which had progressively diminished by the early eighties, has become distinct again, but is now seemingly more driven by a disproportionate decline in the absolute rate of suicides in younger females. We speculate on possible social determinants of this intriguing epidemiological trend.