Suicidal Behavior of Immigrants and Ethnic Minorities in Europe

2009

Objective. Although Western Europe is becoming increasingly multicultural, ethnic minorities are scarcely included in studies of suicidology. We investigated the prevalence of non-fatal suicidal behavior and examined risk factors in nonwestern female immigrant adolescents compared to majority female adolescents in the city of Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Design. We conducted logistic regression on a dataset that consisted of selfreported health and well-being questionnaires filled out by 4527 adolescents of Dutch, South Asian-Surinamese, Moroccan, and Turkish origin. We examined whether young females of specific ethnic groups had elevated risk for attempted suicide. Well-known risk factors in suicidology of social economic class, level of education, life events, abuse, and family context were investigated to verify whether these factors are beneficial to explaining ethnic differences in suicidal behavior. Results. We found that rates of attempted suicide among Turkish and South Asian-Surinamese young women were higher than of Dutch females, while Moroccan females had lower rates than Dutch female adolescents. Physical and sexual abuse, and an impaired family environment, as well as parental psychopathology or parental substance abuse contributed to non-fatal suicidal behavior of females across ethnicities. However, these risk factors, as well as low social economic class and of level of education, did not fully explain the vulnerability of Turkish and South Asian-Surinamese females. Conclusion. Our findings underscored the need for developing suicide prevention for specific minority females in multicultural cities in Western Europe. Screening programs, which aim at preventing suicide attempts by young immigrant women should include risk factors in the family environment and relationship with the parents as well as physical and sexual abuse. However, the study also showed that the disproportionate risk of Turkish and South Asian-Surinamese females could not be understood by risk factors alone and transpired that the origins of ethnic disparities in suicidal behavior deserve further examination.

2011

The aim of this literature review was to provide an overview of suicidal ideation and suicide attempt among immigrants in Europe. PsycINFO, PsycARTICLES and PubMed were used. PRISMA flowchart describes selection of articles based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Seventeen articles were included in the study. Predictors of suicidal ideation and suicide attempt among immigrants in Europe are family conflict, health problems, substance abuse, low educational level and being adopted by a host inhabitant family, financial disadvantages. Female immigrants and second-generation immigrants appeared to be at higher risk than male immigrants with regard to suicidal ideation and suicide attempt.

Ethnic and Racial Studies, 2009

Young immigrant women of South Asian, Turkish and Moroccan origin in the Netherlands demonstrate disproportionate rates of non-fatal suicidal behaviour. Suicidal behaviour is usually explained from a psychological or medical tradition. However, we would like to emphasize sociological correlates, by examining the relevance of Durkheim's fatalistic suicide, characterized by overregulation. We conducted a retrospective analysis of 115 case files of young women who demonstrated suicidal behaviour, to illuminate their living conditions. The analysis included a comparison of class factors as well as psychiatric and psychological risk factors. In at least half of the cases, South Asian, Turkish and Moroccan women experienced specific stressful life events related to their family honour. Women's lives were often characterized by a lack of self-autonomy. It is concluded that the archetype of fatalistic suicide should be re-evaluated when interpreting the suicidal behaviour of young immigrant women in the Netherlands, and incorporated into strategies of prevention.

International journal of environmental research and public health, 2018

Recent studies have demonstrated that immigrants and ethnic minorities may be at higher risk of suicidal behaviour as compared to the general population. We conducted a literature search to identify studies in English from 1980 to 2017 related to suicide risk among immigrants and ethnic minorities. Six hundred and seventy-eight reports were screened, and 43 articles were included in the qualitative synthesis of the review. Some studies reported lower rates of suicide attempts, while other findings suggested higher rates of suicidal behaviour and deaths among immigrants as compared to the native population. Also, a positive correlation was found between suicidal behaviour and specific countries of origin. Non-European immigrant women were at the highest risk for suicide attempts, a group which included young women of South Asian and black African origin. Risk factors among migrants and ethnic minorities were found to be: language barriers, worrying about family back home, and separat...

Ethnicity & Health, 2010

Objective. Although Western Europe is becoming increasingly multicultural, ethnic minorities are scarcely included in studies of suicidology. We investigated the prevalence of non-fatal suicidal behavior and examined risk factors in nonwestern female immigrant adolescents compared to majority female adolescents in the city of Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Design. We conducted logistic regression on a dataset that consisted of selfreported health and well-being questionnaires filled out by 4527 adolescents of Dutch, South Asian-Surinamese, Moroccan, and Turkish origin. We examined whether young females of specific ethnic groups had elevated risk for attempted suicide. Well-known risk factors in suicidology of social economic class, level of education, life events, abuse, and family context were investigated to verify whether these factors are beneficial to explaining ethnic differences in suicidal behavior. Results. We found that rates of attempted suicide among Turkish and South Asian-Surinamese young women were higher than of Dutch females, while Moroccan females had lower rates than Dutch female adolescents. Physical and sexual abuse, and an impaired family environment, as well as parental psychopathology or parental substance abuse contributed to non-fatal suicidal behavior of females across ethnicities. However, these risk factors, as well as low social economic class and of level of education, did not fully explain the vulnerability of Turkish and South Asian-Surinamese females. Conclusion. Our findings underscored the need for developing suicide prevention for specific minority females in multicultural cities in Western Europe. Screening programs, which aim at preventing suicide attempts by young immigrant women should include risk factors in the family environment and relationship with the parents as well as physical and sexual abuse. However, the study also showed that the disproportionate risk of Turkish and South Asian-Surinamese females could not be understood by risk factors alone and transpired that the origins of ethnic disparities in suicidal behavior deserve further examination.

The European Journal of Public Health, 2013

This report describes the investigation of care recommendations in the medical system across European countries to immigrants who attempted suicide. Data from seven European countries with 8865 local and 2921 immigrant person-cases were derived from the WHO/EURO Multicentre Study on Suicidal Behaviour and ensuing MONSUE (Monitoring Suicidal Behaviour in Europe) project. The relationship between immigrant status and type of aftercare recommended was analysed with binary logistic regression, adjusting for gender, age, method of attempt and the Centre collecting the data. Clear disparities were identified in the care recommendation practices toward immigrants, compared with hosts, over and above differing policies by the European Centres.

Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 2011

Introduction: This paper explores the association between suicidal behavior and immigrant status among Israreli residents from the former USSR (FSU). Method: The Israeli component of the World Mental Health Survey (INHS) provided information on suicide ideations, plans and attempts. The INHS samples included Israel-born Jews (n = 2114) and post-1990 immigrants from the FSU (n = 814). Data on completed suicide were extracted from the countrywide report of the Ministry of Health. Results: The controlled lifetime rates of suicidal behavior among FSU immigrants were significantly higher than among their Israel-born counterparts. A higher risk was found in the first years following immigration among young adults with higher education and without a spouse. Completed suicide rates were higher among the FSU immigrants than in the general Israeli population with the largest risk among young-adult immigrant men. Discussion: The findings are consistent with previous studies and are discussed in the context of both suicide rates in the country of origin and migratory stressors. Preventive measures are suggested.

Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 2012

Purpose This study compares the frequencies of attempted suicide among immigrants and their hosts, between different immigrant groups, and between immigrants and their countries of origin. Methods The material, 27,048 persons, including 4,160 immigrants, was obtained from the WHO/EURO Multicentre Study on Suicidal Behaviour, the largest available European database, and was collected in a standardised manner from 11 European centres in 1989-2003. Person-based suicide-attempt rates (SARs) were calculated for each group. The larger immigrant groups were studied at each centre and compared across centres. Completedsuicide rates of their countries of origin were compared to the SARs of the immigrant groups using rank correlations. Results 27 of 56 immigrant groups studied showed significantly higher, and only four groups significantly lower SARs than their hosts. Immigrant groups tended to have similar rates across different centres. Moreover, positive correlation between the immigrant SAR and the