A preliminary cross-national study of a possible relationship between elderly suicide rates and tuberculosis

2009 ◽  
Vol 21 (6) ◽  
pp. 1190-1195 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ajit Shah
Keyword(s):  
The Elderly ◽  
World Health ◽  
National Study ◽  
Elderly Age ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Suicide Rates ◽  
Elderly Suicide ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Cross National Study ◽  
Cross National

ABSTRACTBackground: The elderly are at high risk of developing tuberculosis. The prevalence and incidence of depression and anxiety are higher in those with tuberculosis than in the general population. A positive correlation between national suicide rates and rates of mortality due to tuberculosis has been reported.Methods: The relationships between elderly suicide rates and (i) the prevalence of tuberculosis, (ii) the proportion of detected cases of tuberculosis, and (iii) the proportion of cured cases of tuberculosis were examined in a cross-national study using data from the World Health Organization and the United Nations.Results: There were no significant correlations between elderly suicide rates and the prevalence of tuberculosis and the proportion of detected cases of tuberculosis. There were weak but significant negative correlations between the proportion of cured cases of tuberculosis and suicide rates for both sexes in both elderly age-bands.Conclusion: Caution should be exercised in interpreting the findings and the direction of the causal relationship from this cross-sectional ecological study because of ecological fallacy. However, if the findings are true then potentially the study has important implications for prevention of elderly suicides, particularly in countries with a high prevalence of tuberculosis.

Possible Relation of Suicide Rates of Elderly with Societal Crime: A Cross-National Study

2008 ◽  
Vol 102 (1) ◽  
pp. 95-98 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ajit Shah
Keyword(s):  
The Elderly ◽  
World Health Organisation ◽  
World Health ◽  
National Study ◽  
Elderly Persons ◽  
Elderly Age ◽  
Suicide Rates ◽  
Cross National Study ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Cross National

There are few studies examining the relationship between elderly suicides and societal crime. Therefore, a cross-national study examining the relationship between suicide rates of elderly persons and the percentage of the population victimised by different categories of crime was undertaken by using cross-national data from the World Health Organisation and United Nations databases. The main finding was a negative correlation between suicide rates in elderly men age 75+ years and women in both the elderly age-bands with the percentage of the population victimised by the crime of robbery. The findings were at variance with the study's hypothesis and may be explained by several factors, including methodological issues. Individual-level case-control or cohort studies of suicides and attempted suicides by elderly persons are suggested to examine the relationship of suicides by elderly and experience of being victimised by crime.

Possible Relations between General Population Suicide Rates and Societal Crime: A Cross-National Study

2008 ◽  
Vol 103 (2) ◽  
pp. 639-642
Author(s):  
Ajit Shah ◽  
Ritesh Bhandarkar
Keyword(s):  
General Population ◽  
World Health ◽  
National Study ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Suicide Rates ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
National Analysis ◽  
Cross National Study ◽  
Cross National

Crime may be associated with a less structured society, less social integration, and feelings of less security and greater distress among citizens, which characteristics may lead to mental illness and subsequent suicide. Therefore, a cross-national analysis examining the association of general population suicide rates with percent of males and females in the population victimised by different categories of crime was undertaken using cross-national data from the World Health Organization and United Nations for 42 countries. Spearman correlations were generally weak and not statistically significant. Those values were at variance with the study's hypothesis and may be explained by several factors, including methodological issues. Individual-level case-control or cohort studies of suicides and attempted suicides in the general population may permit exploration of the relation of general population suicides with experience and percent by nations of being victimised by crime.

scholarly journals A replication of a non-linear association of educational attainment and suicide rates among the elderly using five-year data

2009 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 339-339 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ajit Shah
Keyword(s):  
Educational Attainment ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
National Study ◽  
Curvilinear Relationship ◽  
Suicide Rates ◽  
Elderly Suicide ◽  
One Year ◽  
Cross National Study ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Cross National

A recent cross-national study demonstrated that the relationship between elderly suicide rates and educational attainment is curvilinear (U-shaped curve) (Shah and Chatterjee, 2008). That study used only one-year data on suicide rates for the latest available year. These findings may have been spurious as suicide rates can randomly fluctuate year on year (Shah and Coupe, 2009). Therefore, this curvilinear relationship was examined using a one-year average of five-year data on elderly suicide rates to establish the accuracy of the earlier findings.

scholarly journals A replication of the curvilinear relationship between population growth and elderly suicide rates in a cross-national study

2009 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 337-338 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ajit Shah
Keyword(s):  
Population Growth ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Quadratic Equation ◽  
National Study ◽  
Curvilinear Relationship ◽  
Population Growth Rates ◽  
Suicide Rates ◽  
Elderly Suicide ◽  
Cross National Study ◽  
Cross National

A curvilinear (U-shaped) relationship between population growth rates and elderly suicide rates fitting the quadratic equation y = a + bx + cx2 (where y is the elderly suicide rate, x is the population growth rate and a, b and c are constants) has been reported (Shah, 2009a). A theoretical model with three sequential stages incorporating population growth, elderly population size, the proportion of elderly in the general population, life expectancy and birth rates has been proposed to explain the findings (Shah, 2009a).

Association of General Population Suicide Rates with Urbanisation

2009 ◽  
Vol 104 (2) ◽  
pp. 609-612
Author(s):  
Ajit Shah
Keyword(s):  
General Population ◽  
A Priori ◽  
World Health ◽  
National Study ◽  
Curvilinear Relationship ◽  
Suicide Rates ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Cross National Study ◽  
Cross National

There is mixed evidence of a relation for suicide rates in the general population with urbanisation. A cross-national study of 76 countries was undertaken examining the a priori hypothesis that the relation of the general population suicide rates with urbanisation, using data from the World Health Organization and United Nations, would be curvilinear and follow an inverted U-shaped curve, with a quadratic pattern. The predicted curvilinear relation was not found. This may have been due to major methodological limitations in cross-national studies, so this hypothesised curvilinear relationship may be better examined in longitudinal studies over time in individual countries undergoing urbanisation.

scholarly journals A replication of a cross-national study of the relationship between elderly suicide rates and urbanization

2009 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 162-163 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ajit Shah
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
National Study ◽  
Religious Institutions ◽  
Suicide Rates ◽  
Economic Process ◽  
Process Of Urbanization ◽  
Elderly Suicide ◽  
Cross National Study ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Cross National

Modernization is a social and economic process consisting of three interrelated processes of industrialization, urbanization and secularization. The process of industrialization may provide greater economic opportunities in urban areas and facilitate migration of people from rural to urban areas. This process of urbanization may lead to a weakening of ties with family, friends, local religious institutions and original place of residence. Difficulties in adjusting to the new urban environment may increase the risk of suicide and see a rise in suicide rates (Stack, 2000).

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