Epidemiological profile, temporal analysis, and future projections of suicide cases in rural cities in the extreme south of Brazil

ABSTRACT

The present study aimed to verify the time series (2000–2017) of death rates by suicide and its associated factors in 4 municipalities in the extreme south of Brazil. Data were obtained through the analysis of medical reports and police report bulletins at the Instituto Médico Legal, in the city of Rio Grande. The suicide rate in the Rio Grande region varied from 4 to 11 suicides per 100,000 inhabitants and it is estimated that by 2030 this rate could reach 16.5 suicides per 100,000 inhabitants. The rural cities of Santa Vitória do Palmar and Chuí present even higher suicide averages when compared to Rio Grande, the most populous city of the four. The death rate from suicide increased gradually in the period analyzed, with the prevalence rising among the youngest and the elderly population. A more comprehensive understanding of the influences of environmental issues on suicidal decisions constitutes an important action that needs to be taken, both because of regional vulnerabilities and the target population identified. Evidence indicates that knowledge of factors affecting individuals residing in this Brazilian region where increased suicide rates are recorded needs to be recognized as a priority.

KEYWORDS:

• Self-harm
• public health
• hanging
• depression
• rural areas
• Brazil

Acknowledgments

The authors thank the Legal Medical Institute of Rio Grande.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Availability of data and materials

The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

Contributors

Conceptualization: Paula Santos da Silva Araújo, Tatiane Britto da Silveira, Flávio Manoel Rodrigues da Silva Júnior; Methodology: Merlyn dos Santos Maidana, Guaraciaba Ribeiro Duarte de Sousa, Samuel de Carvalho Dumith; Formal analysis and investigation: Merlyn dos Santos Maidana, Guaraciaba Ribeiro Duarte de Sousa, Samuel de Carvalho Dumith; Writing – original draft preparation: Paula Santos da Silva Araújo, Tatiane Britto da Silveira, Fernando Rafael de Moura; Writing – review and editing: Fernando Rafael de Moura, Flávio Manoel Rodrigues da Silva Júnior; Supervision: Flávio Manoel Rodrigues da Silva Júnior.

Ethics approval

The present study respected the ethical precepts recommended by Resolution 466/12 of the National Health Council of the Ministry of Health, which regulates research involving human beings. The study was approved by the Institutional Research Ethics Committee and obtained an opinion no. 165/2017.

Additional information

Funding

This research was funded by Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - Brasil (CAPES) Finance Code 001 and Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico - Research Productivity Fellowship, grant number [310856/2020–5](FMRSJ).