Prevalence of suicidal ideation and attempted suicide amongst women and girls in South Asia: A systematic review and meta-analysis

AbstractA growing body of literature suggests an increased risk of suicidal ideation and suicide attempts among women and girls in South Asia. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to appraise the current evidence and estimate the prevalence of suicidal ideation and suicide attempts in this population. We systematically searched nine bibliographic databases and additional sources through December 17, 2021, for studies that reported the prevalence of suicidal ideation or attempted suicide. Random-effect models were used to estimate pooled prevalence. From 30 eligible studies, prevalence estimates were pooled from 27 studies that reported suicidal ideation (n = 39674) and 12 studies of attempted suicide (n = 20791). The overall pooled prevalence of suicidal ideation was 17% (95% CI:14.00- 19.00) and attempted suicide was 5% (95% CI: 4.00-7.00). Thirteen studies enrolled adult women from the general population, nine recruited adolescents, and eight studies recruited medical/university students. Pakistan and Bhutan had the highest pooled prevalence of suicidal ideation and attempts, respectively. Pooled estimate of suicidal ideation was higher among adults, whereas estimated suicide attempts was found to be higher among adolescent girls. The high burden of suicidal ideation and attempt among South Asian women and girls suggesting a heavy psychosocial burden that necessitates a gender-sensitive integrated multi-sectoral approach.