Background

Analyze the long-term sex specific trends in suicide rates for Ecuadorian children, adolescents and young people, as well as to describe the evolution of the male/female ratio between 1990 and 2017.

Method

Population and mortality data were obtained from the National Institute of Statistics and Censuses of Ecuador. Suicide rates were calculated for each year, age group (10-14, 15-19, 20-24 years) and sex. We used the Joinpoint Regression Program 4.6.0.2 to analyze temporal trends and report annual percent change (APC) by each age group and sex.

Results

An average of 313 suicides per year happened in Ecuador between 1990 and 2017, with increases of 480% in young boys and 322 % in girls aged between 10-14, 111% in male adolescents and 57% in young adults, while there was a decrease in adolescent girls (19%) and young adults (37%). The suicide rate increased annually among boys (APC = 5.10%) and girls (2.57%), as well as for male adolescents (3.07%) and young adults (10.42%), while for female adolescents (0.81%, not significant) and young women (1.16%) the trend decreased after reaching a peak around 2006. While up until the beginning of the XXI century young females aged between 10 and 19 years had higher suicide rates, during the last decade men had higher rates across all age groups (between 1.5:1 and 4.3:1 in 2017).

Conclusions

Suicide in the population under 25 years in Ecuador is a major public health issue and increased between 1990 and 2017, particularly among children, and males between 15-24 years. The intersectorial strategy proposed in 2018 in order to reduce suicide is pending further evaluation and interpretation.