Mortality Risk Following a Household Suicide

Does household exposure to suicide increase mortality among surviving members, and what risk factors and temporal patterns are involved?In this cohort study of over 100 million Brazilians, household suicide exposure was associated with a 32% higher risk of all-cause mortality and a 4-fold higher risk of suicide, with over half of suicides occurred within 2 years following the index case. Risks were greatest when the index cases were young or female and among those in poor housing conditions.These findings suggest that household suicide exposure confers substantial time-sensitive mortality risks, underscoring the need for targeted early postvention strategies.

Corresponding Author: Flávia Alves, Center for Data and Knowledge Integration for Health (CIDACS), Rua Mundo, Sem número, Parque Tecnológico da Bahia–Trobogy, Salvador, Bahia CEP 41.745-715, Brazil (Flavia_Alves@hms.harvard.edu).

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