Prevalence of Suicidal Ideation, Suicide Plans, and Suicide Attempts Among Children and Adolescents Under 18 years of Age in Mainland China: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Abstract

Despite suicide in younger population having become a severe public health issue, information on the prevalence of suicidality among Chinese children and adolescents is still limited. This study aims to estimate the prevalence of suicidal ideation, suicide plans, and suicide attempts in Chinese children and adolescents aged under 18 years. A meta-analysis was conducted based on English and Chinese publications from January 1, 2010 to December 31, 2020 using random-effects models. Based on 132 eligible studies with a combined total of 1,103,309 Chinese children and adolescents below 18 years old, the pooled prevalence of the overall suicidal ideation, suicide plans, and suicide attempts were 15.4% (95% CI [14.3, 16.6]), 6.4% (95% CI [5.5, 7.4]) and 3.5% (95% CI [3.1, 4.1]), respectively. The subgroup analyses showed that there were significant variations of prevalence of suicidal risks across genders, school stages, and geographical areas in mainland China. It was the first systematic review and meta-analysis to show suicidality among younger population aged below 18 years is prevalent in mainland China. This study suggests that gender-age-region-specific prevention and intervention programs should be urgently needed to reduce suicidal risks among Chinese children and adolescents.

Association between health literacy and suicide-related behaviors in middle school students: The mediating role of depressive symptoms

“…The prevalence rates of suicidal ideation, planning, and attempts among middle school students in this study were 26.62%, 9.27% and 4.55%, respectively, with suicidal ideation and attempts increasing relative to the results of a survey on suicide-related behaviors among middle school students in Chongqing City in 2019 (23.90% and 2.68%, respectively) [44] , and the prevalence rates of suicidal ideation, planning, and attempts from this survey were higher than those from a meta-analysis of suicidal ideation, planning, and attempts that included ndings published in 2010-2020 about suicide-related behaviors among Chinese adolescents (15.6%, 6.7%, and 3.4%, respectively) [45] but lower than a survey study during 2020-2021 (31.3%, 16.3% and 7.5%, respectively) [46] . A possible reason for the discrepant results between studies could be differences in the timing of the surveys.…”