Sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of suicide methods in Denmark: A nationwide registry-based study of suicides during 2010–2020

Publié en mars 2026

par Agnieszka Konieczna, Mette Reilev, Elsebeth Stenager, Erik Christiansen

- International

Recherche, observation et données

Background: Suicide mortality is influenced by the lethality of the method used, making it essential for effective suicide prevention. This nationwide study examined whether suicide methods differ by sociodemographic and clinical characteristics among individuals who died by suicide in Denmark.

Methods
We conducted a retrospective register-based cohort study including all suicide decedents in Denmark between 2010 and 2020 (n = 6257). Data were obtained from Danish national health registers. Multinomial logistic regression examined associations between individual characteristics and suicide methods, using hanging as the reference category. Statistical significance was assessed with Holm-Bonferroni-adjusted p-values.

Results
Compared with hanging, self-poisoning with drugs was significantly associated with female sex (male: OR = 0.37, 95%CI [0.31–0.44]), psychotropic drug treatment (OR = 1.61, 95%CI [1.25–2.07]), and previous suicide attempts (OR = 1.46, 95%CI [1.22–1.73]). Self-poisoning with other substances was more common among individuals without known health conditions. Firearms were significantly associated with male sex (OR = 10.11, 95%CI [5.58–18.32]), and absence of psychiatric history (OR = 0.42, 95%CI [0.27–0.64]). Suicide by jumping was significantly associated with recent psychiatric admissions (OR = 2.52, 95%CI [1.87–3.40]), psychotic disorders (OR = 1.69, 95%CI [1.25–2.27]) and OCD (OR = 3.65, 95%CI [1.71–7.76]). Hanging was the most used method among individuals with a history of affective disorders.

Conclusions
Suicide methods were associated with distinct sociodemographic and clinical characteristics, indicating heterogeneity in method-specific profiles. Individuals using less lethal methods were more likely to have previous healthcare contact, indicating opportunities for targeted prevention, whereas violent methods appeared more strongly related to access to means and non-help-seeking. These findings support method-specific suicide risk assessment and prevention strategies.

Télécharger la ressource

Auteurs & structures

Agnieszka Konieczna a,b,*,**, Mette Reilev a,c,d, Elsebeth Stenager d, Erik Christiansen a,d

a Centre for Suicide Research, Odense, Denmark
b Research Unit of Health Promotion, Department of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
c Clinical Pharmacology, Pharmacy and Environmental Medicine, Department of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark
d Unit of Mental Health Research Southwest Denmark, Department of Regional Health Services, University of Southern Denmark, Denmark

Bibliographie

Abdullah, F., Nuernberg, A., Rabinovici, R., 2003. Self-inflicted abdominal stab wounds. Injury 34 (1), 35–39. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0020-1383(02)00084-0.
Albano, G.D., Malta, G., La Spina, C., Rifiorito, A., Provenzano, V., Triolo, V., Vaiano, F., Bertol, E., Zerbo, S., Argo, A., 2022. Toxicological findings of self-poisoning suicidal deaths: a systematic review by countries. Toxics 10 (11), 654. https://doi.org/ 10.3390/toxics10110654.
Badger, J.M., Gregg, S.C., Adams, C.A., 2012. Non-fatal suicide attempt by intentional stab wound: Clinical management, psychiatric assessment, and multidisciplinary considerations. Journal of Emergencies, Trauma, and Shock 5 (3), 228–232. https:// doi.org/10.4103/0974-2700.99688.
Berkelmans, G., Van Der Mei, R., Bhulai, S., Merelle, S., Gilissen, R., 2020. Demographic risk factors for suicide among youths in the Netherlands. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 17 (4), 1182. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17041182.
Bond, A.E., Bandel, S.L., Wagler, K., Daruwala, S.E., Anestis, M.D., 2021. Differentiating suicide decedents who died by firearm verse hanging. Int. Rev. Psychiatry 33 (7), 631–637. https://doi.org/10.1080/09540261.2021.1910498.
Cai, Z., Chang, Q., Yip, P.S.F., Conner, A., Azrael, D., Miller, M., 2021. The contribution of method choice to gender disparity in suicide mortality: a population-based study in Hong Kong and the United States of America. J. Affect. Disord. 294, 17–23. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2021.06.063.
Cenderadewi, M., Franklin, R.C., Peden, A.E., Devine, S., 2020. Fatal intentional drowning in Australia: a systematic literature review of rates and risk factors. PLoS One 15 (5), e0231861. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0231861.
Choi, N.G., Marti, C.N., Choi, B.Y., 2022. Three leading suicide methods in the United States, 2017–2019: associations with decedents’ demographic and clinical characteristics. Front. Public Health 10, 955008. https://doi.org/10.3389/ fpubh.2022.955008.
Corcoran, P., Nagar, A., 2010. Suicide and marital status in Northern Ireland. Soc. Psychiatry Psychiatr. Epidemiol. 45 (8), 795–800. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127- 009-0120-7.

Pour accéder à l’intégralité de la bibliographie, veuillez consulter la ressource.