Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-gvvz8 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-18T12:01:36.007Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Firearm Suicides And Availability Of Firearms: The Swiss Experience

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 April 2020

V. Ajdacic-Gross ,
M. Killias ,
U. Hepp ,
S. Haymoz ,
M. Bopp ,
F. Gutzwiller  and
W. Rössler
V. Ajdacic-Gross*
Affiliation:
Research Unit for Clinical and Social Psychiatry, Psychiatric University Hospital, Militärstr. 8, POB 1930, 8021Zürich, Switzerland Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine, University of Zurich, Hirschengraben 84, 8001Zürich, Switzerland
M. Killias
Affiliation:
Institute of Criminology, University of Zurich, Rämistrasse 74/39, 8001Zürich, Switzerland
U. Hepp
Affiliation:
Psychiatric Services of the Canton of Aargau, Externer Psychiatrischer Dienst EPD, Haselstrasse 1, 5400Baden, Switzerland
S. Haymoz
Affiliation:
Federal Office of Statistics, Espace de l’Europe 10, 2010Neuchâtel, Switzerland
M. Bopp
Affiliation:
Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine, University of Zurich, Hirschengraben 84, 8001Zürich, Switzerland
F. Gutzwiller
Affiliation:
Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine, University of Zurich, Hirschengraben 84, 8001Zürich, Switzerland
W. Rössler
Affiliation:
Research Unit for Clinical and Social Psychiatry, Psychiatric University Hospital, Militärstr. 8, POB 1930, 8021Zürich, Switzerland
*
*Corresponding author. Tel.: ++41 44 29 67 433; fax: ++4144 29 67 449. E-mail address: [email protected] (V. Ajdacic-Gross).
Get access

Abstract

This study aimed to examine the association between the availability of firearms at home, and the proportion of firearm suicides in Switzerland in an ecological analysis. The data series were analysed by canton and yielded a fairly high correlation (Spearman's rho = 0.60). Thus, the association holds also at a sub-national level.

Keywords

FirearmsSuicidePrevention
Type
Suicidology
Information
European Psychiatry , Volume 25 , Issue 7 , November 2010 , pp. 432 - 434
Copyright
Copyright © Elsevier Masson SAS 2019

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Ajdacic-Gross, V., Killias, M., Hepp, U., Gadola, E., Bopp, M., Lauber, C.et al.Changing times: a longitudinal analysis of international firearm suicide data. Am J Public Health 2006; 96: 1752–1755.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ajdacic-Gross, V., Weiss, M.G., Ring, M., Hepp, U., Bopp, M., Gutzwiller, F.et al.Methods of suicide: international suicide patterns derived from the WHO mortality database. Bull World Health Organ 2008; 86: 726–732.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Alvazzi del Frate, A., Van Kesteren, J.N.Criminal victimisation in urban Europe. Key findings of the 2000 International Crime Victims Survey. Turin: UNICRI; 2004.Google Scholar
Bundesamt für Statistik (BFS). Schweizerische Todesursachenstatistik: Richtlinien für die ärztliche Bescheinigung der Todesursachen. Bern: BFS; 1996.Google Scholar
Brent, D.A., Bridge, J.Firearms availability and suicide. Am Behav Sci 2003; 46: 1192–1210.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
de Moore, G.M., Robertson, A.R.Suicide attempts by firearms and by leaping from heights: a comparative study of survivors. Am J Psychiatry 1999; 156: 1425–1431.Google ScholarPubMed
Frei, A., Han, A., Weiss, M.G., Dittmann, V., Ajdacic-Gross, V.Use of army weapons and private firearms for suicide and homicide in the region of Basel, Switzerland. Crisis 2006; 27: 140–146.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kapusta, N.D., Etzersdorfer, E., Krall, C., Sonneck, G.Firearm legislation reform in the European Union: impact on firearm availability, firearm suicide and homicide rates in Austria. Br J Psychiatry 2007; 191: 253–257.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Killias, M.International correlations between gun ownership and rates of homicide and suicide. Can Med Assoc J 1993; 148: 1721–1725.Google ScholarPubMed
Killias, M., van Kesteren, J., Rindlisbacher, M.Guns, violent crime, and suicide in 21 countries. Can J Criminol 2001; 43: 429–448.Google Scholar
Killias, M., Haymoz, S., Lamon, P.Swiss Crime Survey. Die Kriminalität in der Schweiz im Lichte der Opferbefragungen von 1984-2005. Bern: Stämpfli; 2007.Google Scholar
Klieve, H., Sveticic, J., De Leo, D.Who uses firearms as a means of suicide? A population study exploring firearm accessibility and method choice. BMC Med 2009; 7: 52.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Krug, E.G., Powell, K.E., Dahlberg, L.L.Firearm-related deaths in the United States and 35 other high- and upper-middle-income countries. Int J Epidemiol 1998; 27: 214–221.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mann, J.J., Apter, A., Bertolote, J., Beautrais, A., Currier, D., Haas, A.et al.Suicide prevention strategies: a systematic review. JAMA 2005; 294: 2064–2074.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Miller, M., Hemenway, D.The relationship between firearms and suicide: a review of the literature. Aggression Violent Behav 1999; 4: 59–75.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Minder, CE, Zingg, W.Die Sterblichkeitsstatistik in der Schweiz. Datenqualität der Todesursachen und der Berufsbezeichnungen. Amtliche Statistik der Schweiz, Nr. 155. Bern: Bundesamt für Statistik; 1989.Google Scholar
Pirkola, S., Isometsa, E., Lonnqvist, J.Do means matter? Differences in characteristics of Finnish suicide completers using different methods. J Nerv Ment Dis 2003; 191: 745–750.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Shenassa, E.D., Catlin, S.N., Buka, S.L.Lethality of firearms relative to other suicide methods: a population based study. J Epidemiol Community Health 2003; 57: 120–124.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Van Kesteren, J.N., Mayhew, P., Nieuwbeerta, P.Criminal victimisation in seventeen industrialised countries: key-findings from the 2000 International Crime Victims Survey. The Hague: Ministry of Justice; 2000.Google Scholar
Varnik, A., Kolves, K., van der Feltz-Cornelis, C.M., Marusic, A., Oskarsson, H., Palmer, A.et al.Suicide methods in Europe: a gender-specific analysis of countries participating in the “European Alliance Against Depression”. J Epidemiol Community Health 2008; 62: 545–551.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Varnik, A., Kolves, K., Allik, J., Arensman, E., Aromaa, E., van Audenhove, C.et al.Gender issues in suicide rates, trends and methods among youths aged 15–24 in 15 European countries. J Affect Disord 2009; 113: 216–226.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Submit a response

Comments

No Comments have been published for this article.