Suicide mortality after spinal cord injury in the United States: Injury cohorts analysis

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Study compared 12-year suicide-specific mortalities of 3 different injury cohorts, identified the risk factors for suicide mortality after spinal cord injury (SCI), and investigated whether suicide mortality is higher among those with SCI than in the general population. Data on suicide deaths were obtained from 31,399 participants injured between January 1, 1973, and December 31, 1999 who received services at 28 United States hospitals designated as SCI Model Systems. Based on their year of injury, participants were divided into 3 cohorts: injured between 1973 and 1979, injured between 1980 and 1989, and injured between 1990 and 1999. Analysis revealed that the crude annual suicide mortality rate during the first 12 years after SCI was 91 per 100,000 person-years for 1973 to 1979 injury cohort, 69 per 100,000 person-years for 1980 to 1989 injury cohort, and 46 per 100,000 person-years for 1990 to 1999 injury cohort. Suicide mortality was associated with race, injury severity, and years since injury. The standardized mortality ratios for the 3 cohorts were 5.2, 3.7, and 3.0, respectively. Suicide mortality among those with SCI decreased over 3 injury cohorts, but it still remained 3 times higher than that of the general population.

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