Top

Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology

Published in:

01-11-2011 | Original Paper

Suicidal behavior among immigrants

Authors: Julia Mirsky, Robert Kohn, Pnina Dolberg, Itzhak Levav

Published in: Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology | Issue 11/2011

Abstract

Introduction

This paper explores the association between suicidal behavior and immigrant status among Israeli 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 = 2,114) 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.

Cheng AT, Chen TH, Chen CC, Jenkins R (2000) Psychosocial and psychiatric risk factors for suicide. Case–control psychological autopsy study. Br J Psychiatry 177:360–365PubMedCrossRef

Caspi A, Sugden C, Moffitt T, Taylor A, Craig IW, Harrington H, McClay J, Mill J, Martin J, Braithwaite A, Poulton R (2003) Influence of life stress on depression: moderation by a polymorphism in the 5-HTT gene. Science 301:386–389. doi:10.1126/science.1083968 PubMedCrossRef

Sareen J, Cox BJ, Afifi TO, de Graaf R, Asmundson GJ, ten Have M, Stein MB (2005) Anxiety disorders and risk for suicidal ideation and suicide attempts: a population-based longitudinal study of adults. Arch Gen Psychiatry 62:1249–1257. doi:10.1002/da.20314 PubMedCrossRef

Clayton P, Auster T (2008) Strategies for the prevention and treatment of suicidal behavior. Focus 6:15–21

Druss B, Pincus H (2000) Suicidal ideation and suicide attempts in general medical illnesses. Arch Intern Med 160:1522–1526PubMedCrossRef

Groleger U, Tomori M, Kocmur M (2003) Suicidal ideation in adolescence—an indicator of actual risk? Isr J Psychiatry Relat Sci 40:202–208PubMed

Conwell Y, Duberstein PR, Caine ED (2002) Risk factors for suicide in later life. Biol Psychiatry 52:193–204. doi:10.1016/S0006-3223(02)01347-1 PubMedCrossRef

Mirsky J, Kohn R, Levav I, Grinshpoon A, Ponizovsky AM (2008) Psychological distress and common mental disorders among immigrants: results from the Israeli-based component of the World Mental Health Survey. J Clin Psychiatry 69:1715–1720PubMedCrossRef

Hjern A, Allebeck P (2002) Suicide in first- and second-generation immigrants in Sweden: a comparative study. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 37:423–429. doi:10.1007/s00127-002-0564-5 PubMedCrossRef

10.

Mäkinen IH, Wasserman D (2003) Suicide mortality among immigrant Finnish Swedes. Arch Suicide Res 7:93–106. doi:10.1080/13811110301574 CrossRef

11.

Carta MG, Bernal M, Hardoy MC, Haro-Abad JM (2005) Migration and mental health in Europe (the state of the mental health in Europe working group: appendix 1). Clin Pract Epidemiol Mental Health 1:13–29. doi:10.1186/1745-0179-1-13 CrossRef

12.

Levecque K, Lodewyck I, Bracke P (2009) Psychological distress, depression and generalised anxiety in Turkish and Moroccan immigrants in Belgium: a general population study. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 44:188–197. doi:10.1007/s00127-008-0431-0 PubMedCrossRef

13.

Kposowa AJ, McElvain JP, Breault KD (2008) Immigration and suicide: the role of marital status, duration of residence, and social integration. Arch Suicide Res 12:82–92. doi:10.1080/13811110701801044 PubMedCrossRef

14.

Wadsworth T, Kubrin CE (2007) Hispanic suicide in U.S. metropolitan areas: examining the effects of immigration, assimilation, affluence, and disadvantage. AJS 112:1848–1885. doi:10.1086/512711

15.

Duldulao AA, Takeuchi DT, Hong S (2009) Correlates of suicidal behaviors among Asian Americans. Arch Suicide Res 13:277–290. doi:10.1080/13811110903044567 PubMedCrossRef

16.

Tinghög P, Hemmingsson T, Lundberg I (2007) To what extent may the association between immigrant status and mental illness be explained by socioeconomic factors? Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 42:990–996. doi:10.1007/s00127-007-0253-5 PubMedCrossRef

17.

Wasserman D, Värnik A (1998) Suicide-preventive effects of perestroika in the former USSR: the role of alcohol restriction. Acta Psychiatr Scand Suppl 394:1–4. doi:10.1111/j.1600-0447.1998.tb10758.x PubMedCrossRef

18.

Men T, Brennen P, Boffetta P, Zaridze D (2003) Russian mortality trends for 1991–2001: analysis by cause and region. BMJ 327:964. doi:10.1136/bmj.327.7421.964 PubMedCrossRef

19.

Sher L (2005) Alcoholism and suicidal behavior: a clinical overview. Acta Psychiatr Scand 113:13–22. doi:10.1111/j.1600-0447.2005.00643.x CrossRef

20.

Värnik A, Kõlves K, Wasserman D (2005) Suicide among Russians in Estonia: database study before and after independence. BMJ 330:176–177. doi:10.1136/bmj.38328.454294.55 PubMedCrossRef

21.

WHO–World Health Organization, Suicide rates per 100,000 by country, year and sex. http://www.who.int/mental_health/prevention/suicide_rates/en/. Accessed 25 Sept 2009

22.

Statistical Abstracts of Israel (2008) Central Bureau of Statistics, Israel

23.

Rosenbaum-Tamari Y, Demian N (2003) Immigrants from the former Soviet Union 2001—the first year in Israel, a follow up study. Report no. 14, Ministry of Immigrants’ Absorption, Division of Research and Planning, Jerusalem, Israel

24.

Mirsky J (1997) Psychological distress among immigrant adolescents: culture specific factors in the case of immigrant students from the former Soviet Union. Int J Psychol 32:221–230CrossRef

25.

Zilber N, Lerner Y (1996) Psychological distress among recent immigrants from the former Soviet Union to Israel, I. Correlates of level of distress. Psychol Med 26:493–501. doi:10.1017/S0033291700035583 PubMedCrossRef

26.

Ritsner M, Ponizovsky A (2003) Age differences in stress process of recent immigrants. Compr Psychiatry 44:135–141. doi:10.1053/comp.2003.50026 PubMedCrossRef

27.

Ron P (2007) Depression, hopelessness, and suicidal ideation among the elderly: a comparison between veterans and new immigrants. Illn Crisis Loss 15:25–38

28.

Lerner Y, Kertes J, Zilber N (2005) Immigrants from the former Soviet Union, 5 years post-immigration to Israel: adaptation and risk factors for psychological distress. Psychol Med 35:1805–1814. doi:10.1017/S0033291705005726 PubMedCrossRef

29.

Mirsky J, Slonim-Nevo V, Rubinstein L (2007) Psychological wellness and distress among recent immigrants: a four-year longitudinal study in Israel and Germany. Int Migration 45:151–175. doi:10.1111/j.1468-2435.2007.00399.x CrossRef

30.

Hasin D, Rahav G, Meydan J, Neumark Y (1998) The drinking of earlier and more recent Russian immigrants to Israel: comparison to other Israelis. J Subst Abuse 10:341–353. doi:10.1016/S0899-3289(99)00010-3 PubMedCrossRef

31.

Hasin D, Aharonovich E, Liu X, Mamman Z, Matseoane K, Carr L, Li TK (2002) Alcohol dependence symptoms and alcohol dehydrogenase 2 polymorphism: Israeli Ashkenazis, Sephardics, and recent Russian immigrants. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 26:1315–1321. doi:10.1111/j.1530-0277.2002.tb02673.x PubMedCrossRef

32.

Zilber N, Lerner Y, Eidelman R, Kertes J (2001) Depression and anxiety disorders among Jews from the former Soviet Union five years after their immigration to Israel. Int J Geriatr Psychiatry 16:993–999. doi:10.1002/gps.456 PubMedCrossRef

33.

Miller AM, Chandler PJ (2002) Acculturation, resilience, and depression in midlife women from the former Soviet Union. Nurs Res 51:26–32PubMedCrossRef

34.

Tsytsarev S, Krichmar L (2000) Relationship of perceived culture shock, length of stay in the U.S., depression, and self-esteem in elderly Russian-speaking immigrants. J Soc Distress Homeless 9:35–49. doi:10.1023/A:1009458513910 CrossRef

35.

Ponizovsky A, Safro S, Ginath Y, Ritsner M (1997) Suicide ideation among recent immigrants: an epidemiological study. Isr J Psychiatry Relat Sci 34:139–148PubMed

36.

Ponizovsky AM, Ritsner MS, Modai I (1999) Suicidal ideation and suicide attempts among immigrant adolescents from the former Soviet Union to Israel. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 38:1433–1441. doi:10.1097/00004583-199911000-00019 PubMedCrossRef

37.

Ponizovsky AM, Ritsner MS (1999) Suicide ideation among recent immigrants to Israel from the former Soviet Union: an epidemiological survey of prevalence and risk factors. Suicide Life Threat Behav 29:376–392PubMed

38.

Kessler RC, Ustün TB (2004) The World Mental Health (WMH) Survey Initiative Version of the World Health Organization (WHO) Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI). Int J Methods Psychiatr Res 13:93–121. doi:10.1002/mpr.168 PubMedCrossRef

39.

Levinson D, Haklai Z, Stein N, Polakiewicz J, Levav I (2007) Suicide ideation, planning and attempts: results from the Israel National Health Survey. Isr J Psychiatry Relat Sci 44:136–143PubMed

40.

Haklay Z, Stein N, Goldberg N, Aburaba M (2009) Suicidality in Israel 2009. Ministry of Health, Jerusalem

41.

Research Triangle Institute (2003) SUDAAN Version 8.0.2. Research Triangle Institute, Research Triangle Park

42.

Shkolnikov V, Andreev E, Anson J, Meslé F (2004) The peculiar pattern of mortality of Jews in Moscow, 1993–1995. Popul Stud 58:311–329. doi:10.1080/0032472042000272366 CrossRef

43.

Pridemore WA, Kim SW (2006) Research note: patterns of alcohol-related mortality in Russia. J Drug Issues 36:229–247PubMed

44.

Kyobutungi C, Ronellenfitsch U, Razum O, Becher H (2006) Mortality from external causes among ethnic German immigrants from former Soviet Union countries, in Germany. Eur J Public Health 16:376–382. doi:10.1093/eurpub/ckl013 PubMedCrossRef

45.

Wyder M, Ward P, De Leo D (2009) Separation as a suicide risk factor. J Affect Disord 116:208–213. doi:10.1016/j.jad.2008.11.007 PubMedCrossRef

46.

Kõlves K, Ide N, De Leo D (2010) Suicidal ideation and behaviour in the aftermath of marital separation: gender differences. J Affect Disord 120(1–3):48–53. doi:10.1016/j.jad.2009.04.019 PubMedCrossRef

47.

Levav I, Kohn R, Flaherty JA, Lerner Y, Aisenberg E (1990) Mental health attitudes and practices of Soviet immigrants. Isr J Psychiatry Relat Sci 27:131–144PubMed

48.

Angermeyer MC, Breier P, Dietrich S, Kenzine D, Matschinger H (2005) Public attitudes toward psychiatric treatment: an international comparison. Social Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 40:855–864. doi:10.1007/s00127-005-0958-x CrossRef

Title: Suicidal behavior among immigrants
Authors: Julia Mirsky
Robert Kohn
Pnina Dolberg
Itzhak Levav
Publication date: 01-11-2011
Publisher: Springer-Verlag
Published in: Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology / Issue 11/2011
Print ISSN: 0933-7954
Electronic ISSN: 1433-9285
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-010-0280-5

At a glance: The ONWARDS insulin icodec trials

Springer Medicine

Suicidal behavior among immigrants

Abstract

Introduction

Method

Results

Discussion

At a glance: The ONWARDS insulin icodec trials

Springer Medicine

Abstract

Introduction

Method

Results

Discussion

Please log in to get access to this content

Other articles of this Issue 11/2011

Mental health in Ecuadorian migrants from a population-based survey: the importance of social determinants and gender roles

Affective, anxiety, and substance-related disorders in patients undergoing herniated disc surgery

Obesity and the risk of disability in a 12-year cohort study: the role of psychological distress

Depressive disorder and social stress in Pakistan compared to people of Pakistani origin in the UK

The stigma of mental illness in Southern Ghana: attitudes of the urban population and patients’ views

Co-morbid PTSD and suicidality in individuals with schizophrenia and substance and alcohol abuse