Trends in Suicide Mortality in Taiwan, 1959-2006

目標：本研究旨在描述台灣自1959至2006年間自殺死亡率的長期趨勢，並分析其年代、年齡及也代效應。方法：我們以衛生署出版的生命統計資料，計算年齡、性別分層，以及年齡標準化死亡率，並以圖表與Poisson回歸模型分析年代、年齡及也代對自殺死亡率之影響。結果：台灣的自殺死亡率在1960年代早期以及1980年代早期分別出現高峰，並在1990年代中期之後逐年攀升；在所有男女年齡層族群皆呈現一致的年代效應。在年齡效應方面，台灣自殺死亡率隨著年齡上升而增加，進一步分析則發現有年齡與年代之交互作用，特別是在最近十年來中壯年男性自殺死亡率的上升趨勢高於其他年齡層與女性族群。不同也代在自殺風險的差異則與年代、年齡相關的社會環境因素較有關，亦即也代效應並不明顯。結論：自殺死亡率長期趨勢之變動，顯然受到年代效應影響最為顯著，凸顯社會情境對於群體的自殺風險之重要性。後續研究應進一步探究影響台灣自殺風險之因素。

關鍵字

自殺；死亡率；趨勢；台灣

並列摘要

Objectives: This study was conducted to examine long-term trends in suicide mortality in Taiwan from 1959 to 2006 and to analyze the effects of age, time period, and cohort. Methods: Suicide mortality was calculated using official vital statistics data. The effects of age, time period, and cohort on suicide mortality were examined graphically and with Poisson regression models. Results: An ubiquitous period effect on suicide mortality in both genders across all age groups was observed, with peak rates in the early 1960s and early 1980s and an upward trend since the mid-1990s. Suicide mortality increased with age, and evidence for an age-by-period interaction was found. Over the past decade, the sharpest increase in suicide mortality was found in middle-aged men. Evidence of cohort effects was less clear, and suicide risk of different cohorts appeared to be associated with period-and age-specific social environmental conditions. Conclusions: The changing patterns of suicide mortality highlight the importance of period-and age-specific social conditions in determining a population's risk of suicide. Further research is needed to explore the factors involved in such changes.

並列關鍵字

suicide ； mortality ； trend ； Taiwan

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