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The association between complete and partial non-response to psychosocial questions and suicide : The JPHC Study

Svensson, Thomas LU ; Inoue, Manami ; Sawada, Norie ; Iwasaki, Motoki ; Sasazuki, Shizuka ; Shimazu, Taichi ; Yamaji, Taiki ; Ikeda, Ai ; Kawamura, Noriyuki and Mimura, Masaru , et al. (2015) In European Journal of Public Health 25(3). p.424-430
Abstract

Background: Non-participants to psychosocial studies have been shown to have higher mortality, and mortality differs between partial and complete responders to psychosocial questionnaires. Yet, there is very little information available directly linking survey response status with completing suicide. Methods: The study population consisted of the participants of the Japanese Public Health Center-based prospective study. Ninety-nine thousand four hundred thirty-nine subjects who returned the 10-year follow-up questionnaire and 31 754 individuals who did not return the questionnaire were included in our analyses. The risk of dying by suicide according to response status was estimated by Cox regression models. Results: There were 358... (More)

Background: Non-participants to psychosocial studies have been shown to have higher mortality, and mortality differs between partial and complete responders to psychosocial questionnaires. Yet, there is very little information available directly linking survey response status with completing suicide. Methods: The study population consisted of the participants of the Japanese Public Health Center-based prospective study. Ninety-nine thousand four hundred thirty-nine subjects who returned the 10-year follow-up questionnaire and 31 754 individuals who did not return the questionnaire were included in our analyses. The risk of dying by suicide according to response status was estimated by Cox regression models. Results: There were 358 suicides during 1 128 831 person-years of follow-up (mean follow-up time: 8.6 years). Of those who returned the questionnaire, 53.9% were full responders, 42.8% were partial non-responders, and 3.3% were complete non-responders. The risk of suicide was increased for both complete non-responders [hazard ratio (HR) = 1.84, 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.51, 6.64] and partial non-responders (HR = 1.36, 95% CI, 0.999, 1.84) to the questionnaire as a whole. The adjusting variables explained around 40% of the risk for complete non-responders whereas they did not explain the increased risk of suicide for partial non-responders. The risk of dying by suicide was significantly increased for partial non-responders to the subscale on coping (HR = 1.36, 95% CI, 1.01, 1.85) and for complete non-responders to questions on sleep (HR = 2.07, 95% CI, 1.03, 4.16). Conclusions: Partial and complete non-responders have increased suicide risk compared with full responders. More than one non-responder category should therefore be considered when interpreting data pertaining to psychosocial questionnaires in longitudinal studies.

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publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
in
European Journal of Public Health
volume
25
issue
3
pages
7 pages
publisher
Oxford University Press
external identifiers
  • scopus:84939501373
  • pmid:25505027
ISSN
1101-1262
DOI
10.1093/eurpub/cku209
language
English
LU publication?
no
id
05d9ccb3-8bc4-4745-b2d3-17a850f0ece3
date added to LUP
2017-05-11 07:46:31
date last changed
2024-04-28 12:15:11
@article{05d9ccb3-8bc4-4745-b2d3-17a850f0ece3,
  abstract     = {{<p>Background: Non-participants to psychosocial studies have been shown to have higher mortality, and mortality differs between partial and complete responders to psychosocial questionnaires. Yet, there is very little information available directly linking survey response status with completing suicide. Methods: The study population consisted of the participants of the Japanese Public Health Center-based prospective study. Ninety-nine thousand four hundred thirty-nine subjects who returned the 10-year follow-up questionnaire and 31 754 individuals who did not return the questionnaire were included in our analyses. The risk of dying by suicide according to response status was estimated by Cox regression models. Results: There were 358 suicides during 1 128 831 person-years of follow-up (mean follow-up time: 8.6 years). Of those who returned the questionnaire, 53.9% were full responders, 42.8% were partial non-responders, and 3.3% were complete non-responders. The risk of suicide was increased for both complete non-responders [hazard ratio (HR) = 1.84, 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.51, 6.64] and partial non-responders (HR = 1.36, 95% CI, 0.999, 1.84) to the questionnaire as a whole. The adjusting variables explained around 40% of the risk for complete non-responders whereas they did not explain the increased risk of suicide for partial non-responders. The risk of dying by suicide was significantly increased for partial non-responders to the subscale on coping (HR = 1.36, 95% CI, 1.01, 1.85) and for complete non-responders to questions on sleep (HR = 2.07, 95% CI, 1.03, 4.16). Conclusions: Partial and complete non-responders have increased suicide risk compared with full responders. More than one non-responder category should therefore be considered when interpreting data pertaining to psychosocial questionnaires in longitudinal studies.</p>}},
  author       = {{Svensson, Thomas and Inoue, Manami and Sawada, Norie and Iwasaki, Motoki and Sasazuki, Shizuka and Shimazu, Taichi and Yamaji, Taiki and Ikeda, Ai and Kawamura, Noriyuki and Mimura, Masaru and Tsugane, Shoichiro}},
  issn         = {{1101-1262}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{06}},
  number       = {{3}},
  pages        = {{424--430}},
  publisher    = {{Oxford University Press}},
  series       = {{European Journal of Public Health}},
  title        = {{The association between complete and partial non-response to psychosocial questions and suicide : The JPHC Study}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/eurpub/cku209}},
  doi          = {{10.1093/eurpub/cku209}},
  volume       = {{25}},
  year         = {{2015}},
}