Suicide in the Maltese islands between 1995 and 2018

Abstract

According to the World Health Organization (WHO, 2018), one person dies by suicide every 40 seconds. Research on suicide is of critical importance for effective suicide prevention, however it is lacking in the local context. This study investigated the prevalence and the characteristics of the individuals who died by suicide in the Maltese Islands between 1995 and 2018. The research questions addressed the demographic, suicide-related, psychiatric, adverse life events and other variables pertaining to the individuals in the study. Data were collected from Felice et al. (2014)’s study, post-mortem records, the National Mortality Register, and the medical records from Mount Carmel Hospital and Mater Dei Hospital. A quantitative methodology was used to carry out secondary data analysis. Statistical tests were used to analyse trends and relationships between selected variables. The total number of suicides in this study was 635 individuals. An increasing suicide trend was found over the study’s 24-year period. The most salient findings included the heightened suicide risk for males, individuals aged 30 to 49, single or separated individuals, and unemployed or pensioners. Hanging was the most commonly used suicide method. These findings started addressing the research gap in the Maltese Islands and broadening the understanding of suicide in the local context. The identification of at-risk groups and commonly used suicide methods provides important implications for suicide prevention efforts. Conclusively, this study highlights the complexity of suicide and makes recommendations for future research, policy, and practice, at multiple levels, in order to address this public health priority.