The benefits of hindsight: Exploratory analysis of 6 years of Irish coronial data on female suicide mortality across the life course

Little is known about female suicide mortality in Ireland, primarily due to suicide being a rare event and because studies have mainly focused on male suicide risk. To begin to address this gap, this paper examines a female population cohort of coroner and research determined suicide deaths (n = 927), using data from the Irish Probable Suicide Death Study IPSDS (2015-2020). We explore the differences in suicide rates, sociodemographic and clinical characteristics, methods of death and adverse/stressful life events across various stages of the female life course. Navigating social relationships was the most prevalent stressful event among children and adolescents; mental health conditions and/or acute symptoms were more prominent among middle-aged and older women and physical ill-health peaked among women over the age of 65. The findings suggest that each life stage presents unique challenges for women that necessitate tailored social and healthcare prevention and intervention strategies.