Female immigrants and suicidal behavior: The role of gender-related stressors

Résumé

A common cross-cultural finding with regard to the epidemiology of suicidal behavior is the remarkably predictive role that gender plays. Studies from around the world consistently show that females have higher rates of nonfatal suicidal behavior compared with males. A key publication using data from the WHO/EURO Multicentre Study on Suicidal Behaviour in Europe demonstrated that among a large number of immigrant groups, the gender ratio of attempted suicide was even more skewed among immigrants than among native European populations. In this study native women made 22 more suicide attempts per 100,000 than males did, whereas among immigrants, women made 46 more attempts than males. Furthermore, in a high number of immigrant groups in the European countries under investigation, females had increased rates compared with native females residing in those countries, as well as compared with immigrant men of the same ethnic group. Non-European female immigrants displayed higher attempt rates than Europeans (both hosts and immigrants); the difference in gender ratios of suicide attempts between hosts (ratio 1.52) and non-European immigrants (ratio 2.32) was profoundly significant. Although at country level the literature addressing gender factors in suicidal behavior among immigrants is somewhat scarce and incomplete, we first present a number of available findings on this topic from the UK, The Netherlands, Germany, and Scandinavia. In order to improve on the existing lacunae in the role of gender and ethnicity, in the remaining sections of this chapter we subsequently discuss a number of findings on risk factors as well as suggested origins and precipitating factors associated with the suicidal behavior of female immigrants. We conclude with a contribution to theories of female immigrant suicidal behavior by elaborating on the relevance of Durkheim's archetype of fatalistic suicide. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved) EUROPE FEMME TENTATIVE SUICIDE-COMPLÉTÉ IMMIGRANT IMMIGRATION ETHNICITÉ CULTURE FAMILLE VIOLENCE-CONJUGALE SUICIDE-FATALISTE COMMUNAUTÉ