Suicide in Flanders, Belgium, after terrorist attacks

Roel Van Overmeire; Yori Gidron; Stefaan Six; Reginald Deschepper; Marie Vandekerckhove; Johan Bilsen

doi:10.1080/13548506.2021.1894342

Suicide in Flanders, Belgium, after terrorist attacks

Roel Van Overmeire, Yori Gidron, Stefaan Six, Reginald Deschepper, Marie Vandekerckhove, Johan Bilsen

Department of Nursing

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

Little is known about the association between terrorism and suicide. This study investigates suicide numbers in Flanders, Belgium before and after the Paris-attacks (13/11/2015) and Brussels-attacks (22/03/2016). Population mortality data for suicide were gathered from the Agency for healthcare. Suicides in Flanders, Belgium, were higher after both attacks. The increase was higher after the Paris-attacks, compared to the attacks in Brussels, Belgium. The effect of a close-by, but still foreign attack (the Paris-attacks in France) on suicide numbers is larger than that of an attack inside the country (the Brussels-attacks), possibly due to a difference in threat experience and coping possibilities.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	1507-1513
Number of pages	7
Journal	Psychology, Health and Medicine
Volume	27
Issue number	7
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1080/13548506.2021.1894342
State	Published - 2022

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

Keywords

Terrorism
epidemiology
stress
suicide
traumatic stress

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Clinical Psychology
Applied Psychology
Psychiatry and Mental health

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Access to Document

10.1080/13548506.2021.1894342

Cite this

@article{07893662199e4339b7cc302f9b99151f,

title = "Suicide in Flanders, Belgium, after terrorist attacks",

abstract = "Little is known about the association between terrorism and suicide. This study investigates suicide numbers in Flanders, Belgium before and after the Paris-attacks (13/11/2015) and Brussels-attacks (22/03/2016). Population mortality data for suicide were gathered from the Agency for healthcare. Suicides in Flanders, Belgium, were higher after both attacks. The increase was higher after the Paris-attacks, compared to the attacks in Brussels, Belgium. The effect of a close-by, but still foreign attack (the Paris-attacks in France) on suicide numbers is larger than that of an attack inside the country (the Brussels-attacks), possibly due to a difference in threat experience and coping possibilities.",

keywords = "Terrorism, epidemiology, stress, suicide, traumatic stress",

author = "{Van Overmeire}, Roel and Yori Gidron and Stefaan Six and Reginald Deschepper and Marie Vandekerckhove and Johan Bilsen",

note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2021 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.",

year = "2022",

doi = "10.1080/13548506.2021.1894342",

language = "English",

volume = "27",

pages = "1507--1513",

journal = "Psychology, Health and Medicine",

issn = "1354-8506",

publisher = "Routledge",

number = "7",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Suicide in Flanders, Belgium, after terrorist attacks

AU - Van Overmeire, Roel

AU - Gidron, Yori

AU - Six, Stefaan

AU - Deschepper, Reginald

AU - Vandekerckhove, Marie

AU - Bilsen, Johan

PY - 2022

Y1 - 2022

N2 - Little is known about the association between terrorism and suicide. This study investigates suicide numbers in Flanders, Belgium before and after the Paris-attacks (13/11/2015) and Brussels-attacks (22/03/2016). Population mortality data for suicide were gathered from the Agency for healthcare. Suicides in Flanders, Belgium, were higher after both attacks. The increase was higher after the Paris-attacks, compared to the attacks in Brussels, Belgium. The effect of a close-by, but still foreign attack (the Paris-attacks in France) on suicide numbers is larger than that of an attack inside the country (the Brussels-attacks), possibly due to a difference in threat experience and coping possibilities.

AB - Little is known about the association between terrorism and suicide. This study investigates suicide numbers in Flanders, Belgium before and after the Paris-attacks (13/11/2015) and Brussels-attacks (22/03/2016). Population mortality data for suicide were gathered from the Agency for healthcare. Suicides in Flanders, Belgium, were higher after both attacks. The increase was higher after the Paris-attacks, compared to the attacks in Brussels, Belgium. The effect of a close-by, but still foreign attack (the Paris-attacks in France) on suicide numbers is larger than that of an attack inside the country (the Brussels-attacks), possibly due to a difference in threat experience and coping possibilities.

KW - Terrorism

KW - epidemiology

KW - stress

KW - suicide

KW - traumatic stress

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85101879736&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1080/13548506.2021.1894342

DO - 10.1080/13548506.2021.1894342

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:85101879736

SN - 1354-8506

VL - 27

SP - 1507

EP - 1513

JO - Psychology, Health and Medicine

JF - Psychology, Health and Medicine

IS - 7

ER -

Suicide in Flanders, Belgium, after terrorist attacks

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

UN SDGs

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Cite this