Suicídio de mulheres brasileiras durante a pandemia da COVID-19

Abstract

In contexts of crises, such as economic, sanitary, and pandemic situations, among others, risk factors for suicide are exacerbated in the population. The objective of this research was to evaluate the profile of female suicides in Brazil and its geographical regions during the quarters of the quinquennium period 2016–2020. This study is an ecological study of temporal trends. Death records were extracted from the Mortality Information System (SIM/DATASUS) for each month from January 2016 to December 2020, for Brazil and each of its regions. Quarterly suicide mortality rates were calculated, along with the proportions of marital status, education, and race or skin color. The percentage variation in suicide mortality rates in the year and quarters of 2020 was assessed for the period from 2016 to 2020. Results showed that higher suicide mortality rates were observed in Brazil and all regions in 2020 compared to the period from 2016 to 2019, except for the Central-West region. Additionally, there was a percentage increase in suicide rates in all quarters of 2020 compared to the quarters of the period from 2016 to 2019 in the Southeast, the first to third quarters in the North, and the first, third, and fourth quarters in the Northeast and Central-West regions. The highest death rates occurred in unmarried women with 8 to 11 years of education. Black women presented the highest suicide rates in the North, Northeast, and Central-West regions, along with a considerable percentage of indigenous women in the North of the country. Thus, the information presented may support planning and decision-making for suicide prevention among Brazilian women.