NCJ Number
226906
Journal
Journal of Forensic Sciences Volume: 54 Issue: 3 Dated: May 2009 Pages: 669-671
Date Published
May 2009
Length
3 pages
Annotation
This study of suicides by electrocution (SE) in eight districts of Bulgaria for the years 1965-2006 focuses on the incidence of SE, method of electrocution, and victim characteristics.
Abstract
Over the 41-year period in Bulgaria, there were 59 SE cases, making it a rare occurrence. SE cases composed 6.24 percent of all electrocution deaths (n=945) during these years, and 0.09 percent of all forensic autopsies (n=63,825). The SE victims’ average age at death was 45.19 years old, and 91.53 percent of the victims were men. The preferred method of SE was by contact between the victim and an electrical cable (47.45 percent of the victims). Most of the SEs (49.15 percent) occurred from June to September. The data source for this study was the forensic medical files of the cases. SPSS 12.0.1 software was applied to produce the descriptive statistical analyses. Values of p<0.05 were assumed to be statistically significant. In order to build a linear trend, the study used the statistical method of the smallest squares, which is provided in the statistical functions menu of Microsoft Excel software. 5 figures and 13 references