Reported prevalence of suicidal ideation and suicide attempts among men who have sex with men in China: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Abstract Background: Men who have sex with men(MSM) in China are at high risk for suicidality but often overlooked. Several studies have reported the prevalence of suicidal ideation and suicide attempts. However, the estimates varies substantially between studies. This systematic review aimed to establish pooled prevalence of suicidal ideation and suicide attempts among MSM in China, in order to arouse the attention of the public.Methods: The relevant studies up to April 2019 were systematically searched via several electronic databases. Studies were screened according to inclusion and exclusion criterion and the random-effects meta-analyses were adopted to calculate the pooled prevalence estimates of suicidal ideation and suicide attempts. Heterogeneity between studies and publication bias was also assessed.Results: A total of 23 articles were eligible for the meta-analysis. The pooled prevalence estimate of suicidal ideation and suicide attempts was 20.1% (95%CI: 16.7%-23.7%) and 6.8%(95%CI: 5.0%-8.9%), respectively. Significant heterogeneity was found for both combined effects. Heterogeneity in the estimates could be partially explained by survey points, HIV infection and average age.Conclusions: The prevalence of suicidal ideation and suicide attempts among MSM in China was moderate high, suggesting that more attention should be paid to the subgroup and effective psychological interventions need to be established and implemented to reduce the suicide-related problems among Chinese MSM.