Skip to main content
Key Specialties
Cardiology Diabetology Endocrinology Gastroenterology Geriatrics and Gerontology Gynecology and Obstetrics Hematology Infectious Disease Internal Medicine Nephrology Neurology Oncology Pediatrics Respiratory Medicine Rheumatology Surgery
Congress Coverage
2024 ACC Congress 2023 ESMO Congress 2023 EASD Congress 2023 ERS Congress 2023 ESC Congress 2023 EHA Congress 2023 ASCO Annual Meeting
Clinical Collections
Advances in Alzheimer’s

ACC 2024 Congress

Catch up on all the top stories and latest evidence in cardiology research with our ACC 2024 Congress hub page.
ADVANCED SEARCH
Log in
Top
BMC Psychiatry
Published in: BMC Psychiatry 1/2016

Open Access 01-12-2016 | Research article

Attitudes towards suicide in urban and rural China: a population based, cross-sectional study

Authors: Yaming Zou, Ricky Leung, Shao Lin, Mingan Yang, Tao Lu, Xianyun Li, Jing Gu, Chun Hao, Guanghui Dong, Yuantao Hao

Published in: BMC Psychiatry | Issue 1/2016

Login to get access

Abstract

Background

Suicide intervention programs have been guided by findings that attitude towards suicide and suicidal behavior may be causally linked. These findings also make it imperative to identify the factors that influence attitudes towards suicide. However, there has been little research on attitudes towards suicide among the general population, especially in low-income and middle-income countries. This population-based, cross-sectional study investigated the associated factors of attitudes towards suicide among a representative sample of urban and rural adult residents in China.

Methods

A multi-stage, stratified random sampling approach was implemented to select participants. Data were collected by a survey using the Scale of Public Attitudes about Suicide (SPAS). The survey also collected some socio-demographic factors and suicidal history of participants. Statistical tests were conducted to identify associated factors that account for variations in attitudes towards suicide.

Results

The residents in China generally hold a neutral attitude towards suicide. Attitudes towards suicide among Chinese residents were associated with age, duration of formal education, marital status, job and suicidal ideation. Different attitudinal subscales seemed not to share the same risk factors. However, gender, ethnicity, religious belief, housing style and economic status might not influence residents’ attitudes towards suicide. Attitudes towards suicide among Chinese urban and rural residents generally had no statistical difference with one notable exception: opinions on whether or not suicides and suicide attempts are different phenomena.

Conclusions

Age, duration of formal education, marital status, job and suicidal ideation seem to have an impact on attitudes towards suicide among residents. Urban and rural residents have similar attitudes towards suicide with the only statistically significance difference being their opinions on whether or not suicides and suicide attempts are different phenomena.
Appendix
Available only for authorised users
Literature
1.
2.
Wang CW, Chan CL, Yip PS. Suicide rates in China from 2002 to 2011: an update. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol. 2014;49:929–41.CrossRefPubMed
3.
Zhang J, Sun L, Liu Y, Zhang J. The change in suicide rates between 2002 and 2011 in China. Suicide Life Threat Behav. 2014;44:560–8.CrossRefPubMed
4.
Diekstra RFW. Suicide and Its Prevention: The Role of Attitude and Imitation. Leiden, Canberrs: Brill; 1989.
5.
Gunnell D, Harbord R, Singleton N, Jenkins R, Lewis G. Factors influencing the development and amelioration of suicidal thoughts in the general population. Cohort study Br J Psychiatry. 2004;185:385–93.CrossRefPubMed
6.
Downs MF, Eisenberg D. Help seeking and treatment use among suicidal college students. J Am Coll Health. 2012;60:104–14.CrossRefPubMed
7.
Coppens E, Van Audenhove C, Iddi S, Arensman E, Gottlebe K, Koburger N, et al. Effectiveness of community facilitator training in improving knowledge, attitudes, and confidence in relation to depression and suicidal behavior: results of the OSPI-Europe intervention in four European countries. J Affect Disord. 2014;165:142–50.CrossRefPubMed
8.
Arnautovska U, Grad OT. Attitudes toward suicide in the adolescent population. Crisis. 2010;31:22–9.CrossRefPubMed
9.
Norheim AB, Grimholt TK, Ekeberg O. Attitudes towards suicidal behaviour in outpatient clinics among mental health professionals in Oslo. BMC Psychiatry. 2013;13:90.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
10.
Renberg ES, Hjelmeland H, Koposov R. Building models for the relationship between attitudes toward suicide and suicidal behavior: based on data from general population surveys in Sweden, Norway, and Russia. Suicide Life Threat Behav. 2008;38:661–75.CrossRefPubMed
11.
Neville K, Roan NM. Suicide in hospitalized medical-surgical patients: exploring nurses’ attitudes. J Psychosoc Nurs Ment Health Serv. 2013;51:35–43. 44-45.CrossRefPubMed
12.
Ritter K, Zitterl W, Stompe T. Religion and suicide - part 2: confessions, religiousness, secularisation and national suicide rates. Neuropsychiatr. 2011;25:127–34.PubMed
13.
14.
Lu Y. The status of religion in China-based on Chinese Family Panel Studies’s survey of 2012. World Relig Cult. 2014;1:11–25.
15.
Xiao S, Yang H, Dong Q, Yang D. The Development, Reliability and Validity of Suicide Attitude Inventory. Chin Ment Health J. 1999;13:250–1 (in Chinese).
16.
Xu X, Kuang L, Ai M, Chen J, Wang W, Gan Y, et al. Study on the attitudes toward suicide among university students in Chongqing. Chin J Epidemiol. 2013;34:569–72 (in Chinese).
17.
Botega NJ, Reginato DG, Da SS, Cais CF, Rapeli CB, Mauro ML, et al. Nursing personnel attitudes towards suicide: the development of a measure scale. Rev Bras Psiquiatr. 2005;27:315–8.CrossRefPubMed
18.
Mofidi N, Ghazinour M, Salander-Renberg E, Richter J. Attitudes towards suicide among Kurdish people in Iran. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol. 2008;43:291–8.CrossRefPubMed
19.
Amiri L, Voracek M, Yousef S, Galadari A, Yammahi S, Sadeghi MR, et al. Suicidal behavior and attitudes among medical students in the United Arab Emirates. Crisis. 2013;34:116–23.CrossRefPubMed
20.
Kodaka M, Inagaki M, Postuvan V, Yamada M. Exploration of factors associated with social worker attitudes toward suicide. Int J Soc Psychiatry. 2013;59:452–9.CrossRefPubMed
21.
Jiao Y, Phillips MR, Sheng Y, Wu G, Li X, Xiong W, et al. Cross-sectional study of attitudes about suicide among psychiatrists in Shanghai. BMC Psychiatry. 2014;14:87.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
22.
Kodaka M, Inagaki M, Yamada M. Factors associated with attitudes toward suicide: among Japanese pharmacists participating in the Board Certified Psychiatric Pharmacy Specialist Seminar. Crisis. 2013;34:420–7.CrossRefPubMed
23.
Dong G, Pan G, Dong Q, Jing L, Feng Y. Suicide of residents in seven cities in Liaoning province, 1998-2000. Chin J Epidemiol. 2005;26:1004–5 (in Chinese).
24.
Li X, Philips MR, Niu Y, Wang Z, Tong Y, Zhang Y, et al. Development and application of the Scale of Public Attitudes about Suicide among community members and college students. Chin Ment Health J. 2011;25:468–75.
25.
Beautrais AL. Suicides and serious suicide attempts: two populations or one? Psychol Med. 2001;31:837–45.CrossRefPubMed
26.
Zhang J, Sun L, Conwell Y, Qin P, Jia CX, Xiao S, et al. Suicides and medically serious attempters are of the same population in Chinese rural young adults. J Affect Disord. 2015;176:176–82.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
27.
Zhang J, Sun L. Suicide ideation and acceptability among females aged 15 to 34 years in rural China. J Nerv Ment Dis. 2014;202:161–6.CrossRefPubMed
28.
Li X, Phillips MR. The acceptability of suicide among rural residents, urban residents, and college students from three locations in China: a cross-sectional survey. Crisis. 2010;31:183–93.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
29.
Gallo WT, Bradley EH, Falba TA, Dubin JA, Cramer LD, Bogardus SJ, et al. Involuntary job loss as a risk factor for subsequent myocardial infarction and stroke: findings from the Health and Retirement Survey. Am J Ind Med. 2004;45:408–16.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
30.
Sisask M, Varnik A, Kolves K, Bertolote JM, Bolhari J, Botega NJ, et al. Is religiosity a protective factor against attempted suicide: a cross-cultural case-control study. Arch Suicide Res. 2010;14:44–55.CrossRefPubMed
31.
Lemstra M, Neudorf C, Mackenbach J, Kershaw T, Nannapaneni U, Scott C. Suicidal ideation: the role of economic and aboriginal cultural status after multivariate adjustment. Can J Psychiatry. 2009;54:589–95.PubMed
32.
Montross LP, Zisook S, Kasckow J. Suicide among patients with schizophrenia: a consideration of risk and protective factors. Ann Clin Psychiatry. 2005;17:173–82.CrossRefPubMed
33.
Kodaka M, Postuvan V, Inagaki M, Yamada M. A systematic review of scales that measure attitudes toward suicide. Int J Soc Psychiatry. 2011;57:338–61.CrossRefPubMed
Metadata
Title
Attitudes towards suicide in urban and rural China: a population based, cross-sectional study
Authors
Yaming Zou
Ricky Leung
Shao Lin
Mingan Yang
Tao Lu
Xianyun Li
Jing Gu
Chun Hao
Guanghui Dong
Yuantao Hao
Publication date
01-12-2016
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
BMC Psychiatry / Issue 1/2016
Electronic ISSN: 1471-244X
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-016-0872-z

Other articles of this Issue 1/2016

BMC Psychiatry 1/2016 Go to the issue

Research article

Understanding and meeting information needs for patients with posttraumatic stress disorder

Research article

The effect of the medicine administration route on health-related quality of life: Results from a time trade-off survey in patients with bipolar disorder or schizophrenia in 2 Nordic countries

Research article

Prevalence and risk factors for lifetime suicide ideation, plan and attempt in Chinese men who have sex with men

Research article

A controlled trial of implementing a complex mental health intervention for carers of vulnerable young people living in out-of-home care: the ripple project

Research article

Quality criteria of involuntary psychiatric admissions - before and after the revision of the civil code in Switzerland

Case report

Removing and reimplanting deep brain stimulation therapy devices in resistant OCD (when the patient does not respond): case report