Presenter(s): Tyra Judge—International Studies
Faculty Mentor(s): Alicia DeLouize, J. Josh Snodgrass
Session: Prerecorded Poster Presentation
Suicide is estimated to account for around 800,000 deaths per year, worldwide . While 79% of global suicides occur in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), most studies on suicide have been done in high-income countries . With the lack of research where the highest rates of suicide are presented, as well as in older and aging populations, it is necessary to form a body of research around this . Here we will present that the percentage of suicidal thoughts and attempts have great variance in LMICs, which can be attributed to multiple different factors . Suicidality was high in LMICs, with different countries having 25% to 53% of people who were depressed having suicidal thoughts and 4% to 26% of people who were depressed having attempted suicide . Predictors of suicidal thoughts and attempts varied widely by country and gender, with poor health being the most common predictor (B’s = 0 .10 to 2 .20, p’s < .01 in China, Russia, India, and Ghana), followed by wealth (B’s = -2 .71 to 1 .03, p’s < .05 in China and Ghana), age (B’s = -0 .14 to 0 .03, p’s < .05 in Mexico and Ghana), memory(B’s = -0 .78 to 0 .53, p < .05 in South Africa), marriage (B’s = -1 .85 to 1 .77, p < .05 in India), and social cohesion (B’s = -0 .16 to 0 .11, p < .05 in South Africa . Our results demonstrate that while these predictors vary widely, they are often affected by socioeconomic status and culture in some way . In our research, we hope it allows for a broader look into where these differences in the predictors come from, specifically when looking at culture, socioeconomic status, health, and gender relations .