Participation and characteristics of suicide-bereaved and non-bereaved parents
| Participants | Suicide-bereaved n=666 | Non-bereaved n=377 | p Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sex—n (%) | 0.630* | ||
| Fathers | 283 (42) | 166 (44) | |
| Mothers | 383 (58) | 211 (56) | |
| Age—year | |||
| Fathers, median (IQR) | 58 (53–62) | 59 (54–62) | 0.667† |
| Mothers, median (IQR) | 55 (51–59) | 54 (50–59) | 0.161† |
| Children—n (%)‡ | 0.887* | ||
| One child | 71 (11) | 43 (11) | |
| Two children | 241 (36) | 139 (37) | |
| Three or more children | 350 (53) | 193 (51) | |
| Not stated | 4 (<1) | 2 (<1) | |
| Family constellation at time of study—n (%) | 0.964* | ||
| Living with a partner | 477 (72) | 271 (72) | |
| Has partner but lives alone | 44 (7) | 28 (7) | |
| Single | 121 (18) | 67 (18) | |
| Widow, widower | 18 (3) | 11 (3) | |
| Not stated | 6 (<1) | 0 (0) | |
| Residence area—n (%) | 0.365* | ||
| Rural | 162 (24) | 77 (20) | |
| Village (population <10 000) | 153 (23) | 97 (26) | |
| Small town (population <50 000) | 128 (19) | 73 (19) | |
| Town (population <200 000) | 117 (18) | 62 (16) | |
| Larger town (population >200 000) | 97 (15) | 68 (18) | |
| Not stated | 9 (1) | 0 (0) | |
| Country of birth—n (%) | 0.003* | ||
| Born in Sweden | 629 (94) | 371 (98) | |
| Born in other Nordic country | 36 (6) | 6 (2) | |
| Not stated | 1 (<1) | 0 (0) | |
| Level of education—n (%) | 0.625* | ||
| Elementary school or less | 146 (22) | 73 (19) | |
| Junior college | 271 (41) | 158 (42) | |
| College or university (<3 years) | 82 (12) | 55 (15) | |
| College or university (>3 years) | 159 (24) | 91 (24) | |
| Not stated | 8 (1) | 0 (0) | |
| Source of income—n (%) | 0.060* | ||
| Employed or self-employed | 498 (75) | 303 (80) | |
| Old-age pension | 59 (9) | 38 (10) | |
| Disability pension | 61 (9) | 21 (6) | |
| Unemployment fund | 25 (4) | 6 (2) | |
| Other | 16 (2) | 9 (2) | |
| Not stated | 7 (1) | 0 (0) | |
| Yearly income in Swedish crowns—n (%) | 0.189* | ||
| 0–99 000 SEK | 34 (5) | 10 (3) | |
| 100 000–199 000 SEK | 120 (18) | 64 (17) | |
| 200 000–39 9000 SEK | 388 (58) | 240 (64) | |
| 400 000 SEK or more | 109 (16) | 59 (16) | |
| Not stated | 15 (2) | 4 (1) | |
| Religion—n (%) | 0.252* | ||
| Do not believe in God | 355 (53) | 216 (57) | |
| Believes in God | 287 (43) | 150 (40) | |
| Not stated | 24 (4) | 11 (3) |
*Pearson's χ2 test.
†Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney's test.
‡The suicide-bereaved parents’ dead child is included in the figures.