Social and economic determinants of the age structure of mortality from suicide in Russia

Abstract

The purpose of the study is to analyze mortality from suicide in the post-Soviet Russia in terms of its age-related changes and determinants. Material and methods. The authors used data of the Federal State Statistics Service (Rosstat) calculated in the FAISS-Potential system (Factographic analytical information and statistical system) for the period 1989-2018 as well as age and standardized (European standard population) indices by death causes according to ICD-10. Results. During crises, the age structure of mortality from suicide is highly gender-specific. In males, there is a plateau of super mortality in working ages with a local (and sometimes absolute) maximum in persons aged 50-59 years; the difference from the non-crisis periods is mainly determined by young working ages. In females, the “crisis” age structure of suicide mortality is characterized by a stable upward trend without any pronounced maxima. Discussion. Comparing regions by mortality from officially registered suicide, on the one hand, and latent suicide (hanging, fall/jump from a height, and drug poisoning), on the other hand, substantiates objectivity of this problem - namely, a significant underestimation of mortality from suicide. The study shows the opposite groups of these regions to mirror each other, i.e. regions with low mortality from suicide are characterized by a significant latent suicide component. Conclusions. Dynamics in suicide mortality in the post-Soviet Russia was determined by its social and economic changes. A social determinant of mortality from suicide is reflected by its age structure: there is a significant increase in the risk of suicide in working-age groups during the crisis and super mortality among the working-age population in the disadvantaged territories even during non-crisis periods, while there is an opposite trend in the structure of suicide mortality in older ages. The general determinant patterns of the age structure of suicide mortality are distorted by its under-registration.