Objectives: Acts of suicide are heterogeneous with respect to level of intent. Data on correlates of intent are overwhelmingly from Western samples. We sought to identify correlates of low-intent and high-intent suicide attempts in China.
Methods: We compared 277 adult case patients who presented to the emergency department in a rural hospital because of attempted suicide to 277 community control individuals, pair-matched for age, gender, and location of residence. Attempted suicides were stratified into 3 levels of suicide intent: low, intermediate, and high. Paired logistic regression analyses were used to analyze the data.
Results: High-intent acts of suicide were associated with major depression, chronic stress, and a relative or associate who had a history of suicidal behavior. These correlates were not associated with low-intent acts of suicide.
Conclusions: High-intent acts of suicide in China are the culmination of longstanding difficulties or symptoms including depression, chronic stress, and previous exposure to suicidal behavior. Prevention of high-intent acts of suicide should include a focus on these domains.