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Background: Informant is essential for data collection for the subject in psychological autopsy, but how the characteristics of informant effect on the validity of proxy data is rarely reported in Chinese population.Methods: Two informants were interviewed to measure hopelessness, social support, impulsivity, anxiety and coping response for each of 416 living controls in a Chinese case-control psychological autopsy study, as well as living controls themselves.Characteristics of informants including demographic factors, religion, family income, health status and depression mood were included as independent factors to explore their effects on the validity of proxy data which was evaluated by absolute value of the difference between proxy data by each informant and self-report on the same item.Results: More familiarity with the subject, well educated, elder age and male were predictors for good validity of proxy data provided by informants (P<0.05) , but the relationship with the subject, marital status, occupation, religion, family income, health status and depression mood of the informant were not significant influencing factors for validity of proxy data.Conclusion: Characteristics of informants for the subject should be carefully considered in psychological autopsy, and the effects of informants characteristics on validity of proxy data were recommend to be adjusted in comparisons of proxy data provided by different informants.