The Impact of Epidemic Outbreak The Case of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and Suicide Among Older Adults in Hong Kong
The Impact of Epidemic Outbreak The Case of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and Suicide Among Older Adults in Hong Kong
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DOI：
10.1027/0227-5910/a000015
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发表时间：
2010-01-01
影响因子：
3
通讯作者：
Law, Y. W.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Yip, Paul S. F.;Cheung, Y. T.;Law, Y. W.
背景：先前的研究显示，2003年65岁及以上的自杀死亡人数显著增加。高峰期与2003年4月报告的大多数SARS病例相吻合。目标：本文探讨SARS爆发如何导致香港特别是老年人自杀率较高的机制。方法：采用定性资料分析的方法，揭示SARS与老年人自杀之间的关系。此外，我们使用了一项基于死因裁判法庭报告的定性研究，为SARS与老年人自杀死亡人数过多之间的关系提供了经验证据。结果：SARS相关的老年自杀者更有可能害怕感染疾病，并有切断联系的恐惧。在SARS相关自杀死亡者中，自杀动机与在疫情负面影响期间担心成为家庭负担的压力更密切相关。在SARS流行期间，一群老年人的社会脱离、精神压力和焦虑导致了极高的自杀死亡率。结论：我们建议在制订防疫措施以应付日后在社区爆发的疾病时，应审慎考虑市民，特别是长者的精神和心理健康。此外，重要的是要提醒家庭成员注意那些因疾病或焦虑而面临潜在风险的脆弱个人。
Background: Previous studies revealed that there was a significant increase in suicide deaths among those aged 65 and over in 2003. The peak coincided with the majority of SARS cases being reported in April 2003. Aims: In this paper we examine the mechanism of how the SARS outbreak resulted in a higher completed suicide rate especially among older adults in Hong Kong. Methods: We used Qualitative data analysis to uncover the association between the occurrence of SARS and older adult suicide. Furthermore, we used a qualitative study based on the Coroner Court reports to provide empirical evidence about the relationship between SARS and the excessive number of suicide deaths among the elderly. Results: SARS-related older adult suicide victims were more likely to be afraid of contracting the disease and had fears of disconnection. The suicide motives among SARS-related suicide deaths were more closely associated with stress over fears of being a burden to their families during the negative impact of the epidemic. Social disengagement, mental stress, and anxiety at the time of the SARS epidemic among a certain group of older adults resulted in an exceptionally high rate of suicide deaths. Conclusions: We recommend that the mental and psychological well-being of the community, in particular older adults, be taken into careful account when developing epidemic control measures to combat the future outbreak of diseases in the community. In addition, it is important to alert family members to vulnerable individuals who are at potential risk because of their illnesses or anxieties.