Features for medically serious suicide attempters who do not have a strong intent to die: a cross-sectional study in rural China

OBJECTIVE: Previous studies have implied that there were many Chinese suicide attempters who did not want to die by suicide. In the current study, we explored the factors which were associated with low levels of suicide intent. We also examined features for medically serious suicide attempters who do not have a strong intent to die in rural china. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: The interviews occurred between May 2012 and July 2013 in 13 rural counties in Shandong and Hunan provinces, China. PARTICIPANTS: Subjects were 791 medically serious suicide attempters whose injury and wounds were so serious they required hospitalisation or immediate medical care. RESULTS: The results supported that less years of education (β=−0.11, p=0.037), religious beliefs (β=1.20, p=0.005), living alone (β=1.92, p=0.017), negative life events (β=0.29, p=0.003), low levels of impulsivity (β=−0.10, p=0.013) and mental disorders (β=2.82, p<0.001) were associated with higher levels of suicide intent. CONCLUSION: Results imply that there are some medically serious suicide attempters with a higher education and/or exhibit impulsivity who do not want to die by suicide. These findings can inform practice to prevent suicide in rural China.