Prevalence and associated socio-demographic factors of suicidal behaviour in the general population of Latvia

bjectives. To determine the prevalence of any type of suicidal behaviour and associated sociodemographic factors among the general population of Latvia.
Materials and Methods. The study was conducted in 2019 and 2020 on a representative sample
of Latvian adult population, selected by a stratified random sampling method. The Mini-International
Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI; version 7.0.2) was used to assess suicidal behaviour, and specifically
designed questionnaire was used for obtaining the socio-demographic data. All the interviews were
conducted by the professional and trained interviewers in the households of respondents. Binary logistic
regression was applied during the analysis.
Results. The final sample included 2687 respondents. The point prevalence of any type of suicidal
behaviour (including suicidal ideation, plan, and attempts) was 10.6% (n = 285). After adjustment for
all independent sociodemographic factors, higher odds of any type of suicidal behaviour were found in
respondents with lower education: unfinished primary education (vs. higher education, aOR 3.1, p = 0,003)
and primary education (vs. higher education, aOR 1.6, p = 0,04). Higher odds were also detected in those
living in capital city Riga (vs. living in smaller Latvian towns, aOR 1.5, p = 0,01), as well as in unmarried
respondents (vs. married/cohabiting, aOR 1.8, p < 0,001) and those who are living separately or divorced
(vs. married/cohabiting, aOR 1.6, p = 0,007).
Conclusions. In the process of developing an algorithm for a comprehensive suicide screening program
attention should be paid to the socio-demographic groups with higher odds of suicidal behaviour: people
with lower education, unmarried, divorced and people living separately from their partners, as well as
people living in the capital ci ty