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On the age-period-cohort analysis of suicide rates

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 July 2009

Stephen C. Newman  and
Ronald J. Dyck
Stephen C. Newman*
Affiliation:
Mental Health Services, Alberta Department of Community and Occupational Health and the Department of Psychiatry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Ronald J. Dyck
Affiliation:
Mental Health Services, Alberta Department of Community and Occupational Health and the Department of Psychiatry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
*
1Address for correspondence: Dr S. C. Newman, Mental Health Services, Alberta Department of Community and Occupational Health, 10030–107 Street, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, T5J 3E4.
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Synopsis

Cohort analysis has become a popular method of examining national trends in suicide rates. Most of the studies investigating this phenomenon have reported a cohort effect to be present. Using a graphical approach, this paper places cohort analysis within the broader framework of age-period-cohort analysis. It is shown that published reports may have failed to identify cohort effects due to using only portions of the available data. With a simple mathematical model it is demonstrated that what appears to be a cohort effect may be a period effect, and conversely. It is recommended that suicide rates be examined for both period and cohort effects before conclusions are drawn regarding trends, and that the complete data set be used for this purpose.

Type
Research Article
Information
Psychological Medicine , Volume 18 , Issue 3 , August 1988 , pp. 677 - 681
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1988

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