| 1. |
- Knizek, Birthe Loa, et al.
(författare)
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County council politicians' attitudes toward suicide and suicide prevention : a qualitative cross-cultural study.
- 2008
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Ingår i: Crisis. - 0227-5910 .- 2151-2396. ; 29:3, s. 123-30
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The purpose of the present study was to compare county council politicians' attitudes toward suicide and suicide prevention in five European countries. A questionnaire was distributed and here the responses to the open-ended questions are analyzed qualitatively. Considerable differences were found in what the politicians in the five countries believed to be the most important causes of suicide and how suicide can be prevented. There were also differences in to what degree the politicians revealed a judgmental attitude toward suicide, which seemed to be related to the magnitude of the problem in the respective countries. A certain implicit inconsistency in the logic directing the politicians' responses was found when their views on causes to suicide and suicide prevention strategies were compared. The responses indicate a need for increased consciousness and knowledge about suicide and suicide prevention among politicians in all the five countries. This is important since they are responsible for initiating and funding suicide preventive efforts.
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| 2. |
- McAuliffe, Carmel, et al.
(författare)
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Problem-solving ability and repetition of deliberate self-harm : a multicentre study.
- 2006
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Ingår i: Psychological Medicine. - : Cambridge University Press. - 0033-2917 .- 1469-8978. ; 36:1, s. 45-55
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background. While recent studies have found problem-solving impairments in individuals who engage in deliberate self-harm (DSH), few studies have examined repeaters and non-repeaters separately. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether specific types of problem-solving are associated with repeated DSH. Method. As part of the WHO/EURO Multicentre Study on Suicidal Behaviour, 836 medically treated DSH patients (59% repeaters) from 12 European regions were interviewed using the European Parasuicide Study Interview Schedule (EPSIS II) approximately 1 year after their index episode. The Utrecht Coping List (UCL) assessed habitual responses to problems. Results. Factor analysis identified five dimensions – Active Handling, Passive-Avoidance, Problem Sharing, Palliative Reactions and Negative Expression. Passive-Avoidance – characterized by a pre-occupation with problems, feeling unable to do anything, worrying about the past and taking a gloomy view of the situation, a greater likelihood of giving in so as to avoid difficult situations, the tendency to resign oneself to the situation, and to try to avoid problems – was the problem-solving dimension most strongly associated with repetition, although this association was attenuated by self-esteem. Conclusions. The outcomes of the study indicate that treatments for DSH patients with repeated episodes should include problem-solving interventions. The observed passivity and avoidance of problems (coupled with low self-esteem) associated with repetition suggests that intensive therapeutic input and follow-up are required for those with repeated DSH.
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| 3. |
- Obando Medina, Claudia, 1980-
(författare)
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When no-one notices...Studies on suicidal expressions among young people in Nicaragua :
- 2011
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Background Suicidal behaviour among young people is one of the major public health problems in low-income countries; it is estimated that every year 70,000 young people take their lives and maybe 40 times as many attempt suicide. Nicaragua has the highest suicide rate among young people of all Latin and Central American countries. This thesis aims at examining: (1) suicidal expressions and their determinants among school adolescents in Nicaragua, (2) cross-cultural aspects on suicidal expressions comparing Nicaragua and Cambodia, (3) pathways to suicide attempts among young men, and (4) primary health care professionals’ perceptions of suicidal behaviour and mental health problems among young people. Method Paper I is a cross-sectional study of 368 school adolescents in Nicaragua using self-report instruments (Youth Self Report and Attitudes Towards Suicide). Paper II compares data from Paper I with corresponding data from a study of 316 adolescents in Cambodia using the same methodology. Paper III is a qualitative study based on interviews with 12 young men who have recently attempted suicide. Paper IV is a qualitative study with 12 primary health care professionals. Results Paper I: Among adolescents, suicide ideation during recent year was reported by 22.6%, suicide plans 10.3%, and suicide attempts 6.5%. Girls were significantly more likely to report suicidal ideation. Multivariate analyses showed that anxious/depressed syndrome (YSR), somatic complaints syndrome (YSR) and exposure to attempted or completed suicide in significant others were significantly associated with their own serious suicidal expressions. Paper II: There was no significant difference in serious suicidal expressions (plans and attempts) between countries, but milder suicidal expressions during past year were more common among Nicaraguan young people. Overall, mental health problems were more commonly reported in Cambodia, where adolescents scored significantly higher on almost all YSR-syndromes as compared to Nicaraguan adolescents, except for withdrawn/depressed syndrome among boys. The pattern of association between mental health problems and suicide plans/attempts differed between countries. In Nicaragua, all eight YSR-syndromes were significantly associated with serious suicidal expressions for both genders compared to only one syndrome among girls and two syndromes among boys in Cambodia. Paper III: A model of the pathways leading to suicide attempts among young men was constructed based on the informants’ experiences. Structural conditions such as poverty or single-headed families, along with normative expectations within a framework of hegemonic masculinity, were all involved to create a sense of failure and an inability to cope. Subsequent increased drinking and drug abuse as well as exposure to attempted and completed suicide among friends and family acted as triggers to their own suicide attempt. Paper IV: Primary health care professionals felt themselves that they lacked knowledge and competence when approached by young people with mental health problems. Misconceptions were common. They felt frustrated which made them either ignore signs of mental health problems or reject help-seeking young people. In practice, a common response from health care professionals was to refer the patient over to someone else, the “hot potato” strategy. Conclusions The prevalence of serious suicidal expressions among young people in Nicaragua is within the range reported from Western high-income countries. Health care professionals need to be aware that somatic complaints as such are related to an increased risk of serious suicidal behaviour among young people, and that those who have been exposed to the attempted or completed suicide of someone close are at increased risk of serious suicidal expressions also when there are no warning signs in terms of mental distress. The cross-cultural comparison lends support to the notion that both cultural specificity and universality characterize serious suicidal expressions, as suggested by several researchers. Whereas prevalence shows less variation between cultures, associated factors might behave differently as shown in the present study, calling for different preventive approaches. The interviews with young men who had attempted suicide tell us that not only difficult socio-economic conditions but also the normative expectations on young men need to be addressed to decrease their risk of suicide. Health care professionals need to be alerted that sometimes serious mental health problems are hidden behind help-seeking for more trivial reasons. There is a necessity of a more integral approach towards mental health problems in PHC, including integral training of staff. The continued involvement of the community, family and other institutions would be essential to develop the care further.
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| 4. |
- Salander Renberg, Ellinor, et al.
(författare)
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Building models for the relationship between attitudes toward suicide and suicidal behavior : based on data from general population surveys in Sweden, Norway, and Russia.
- 2008
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Ingår i: Journal of Suicide and Life-threatening Behaviour. - : Wiley. - 0363-0234 .- 1943-278X. ; 38:6, s. 661-75
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Our aim was to build a model delineating the relationship between attitudes toward suicide and suicidal behavior and to assess equivalence by applying the model on data from different countries. Representative samples from the general population were approached in Sweden, Norway, and Russia with the Attitudes Toward Suicide (ATTS) questionnaire. Data on experience of suicidal behavior among significant others and self-reported suicidal expressions were also collected. Structural equation modeling resulted in gender and country specific models where experience of suicidal behavior among significant others and self-reported suicidal expressions earlier in life predicted attitudes, and attitudes predicted current suicidal expressions. The models included the attitude factors acceptance of suicide, condemnation, and preventability; age and level of education were also incorporated. The different models reveal possible ways to better understand gender and culture-specific paths between attitudes and suicidal behaviors, and their relevance in a suicide prevention context is considered.
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| 5. |
- Skruibis, Paulius, et al.
(författare)
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Attitudes towards suicide among regional politicians in Lithuania, Austria, Hungary, Norway and Sweden
- 2010
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Ingår i: Suicidology Online. - 2078-5488. ; 1, s. 79-87
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The aim of this study was to compare attitudes towards suicide among regional politicians in five European countries, namely Austria, Hungary, Lithuania, Norway and Sweden. Attitudes of politicians are important as they are key persons in a suicide prevention context. All these countries differ significantly with respect to suicide rates and suicide prevention strategies. Previous research has shown that more permissive attitudes towards suicide are prevalent in countries with higher rates of suicide. Thus, we would expect that regional politicians in these countries would hold rather different attitudes towards suicide. The Attitudes Towards Suicide questionnaire (ATTS) was employed in the study. The results indicated that the acceptance of suicide was higher among Lithuanian, Hungarian and Austrian politicians (high suicide rate, no national prevention strategies), than among Norwegian and Swedish politicians (relatively low suicide rates, national prevention strategies). The same split in attitudes between low and high suicide rate areas was found concerning preparedness to help a person in a suicidal crisis. The only significant difference between male and female politicians was found with respect to perceived preventability of suicide, with male politicians being slightly more optimistic than female politicians. Overall, the results of our study show that differences among countries in suicide rates and suicide prevention policies are reflected in attitudes of politicians.
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| 6. |
- Stoor, Jon Petter A., et al.
(författare)
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"If you do not birget [manage] then you don't belong here" : a qualitative focus group study on the cultural meanings of suicide among Indigenous Sámi in arctic Norway
- 2019
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Ingår i: International Journal of Circumpolar Health. - : Taylor & Francis. - 1239-9736 .- 2242-3982. ; 78:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Suicide is a major public health issue across the Arctic, especially among Indigenous Peoples. The aim of this study was to explore and describe cultural meanings of suicide among Sámi in Norway. Five open-ended focus group discussions (FGDs) were conducted with 22 Sámi (20) and non-Sámi (2) participants in South, Lule, Marka, coastal and North Sámi communities in Norway. FGDs were recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed employing thematic analysis. Six themes were developed from the analysis: "Sámi are treated negatively by the majority society", "Some Sámi face negative treatment from other Sámi", "The historic losses of the Sámi have turned into a void", "Sámi are not provided with equal mental health care", "The strong Sámi networks have both positive and negative impacts" and "'Birgetkultuvvra' might be a problem". The findings indicate that the participants understand suicide among Sámi in relation to increased problem load for Sámi (difficulties in life not encountered by non-Sámi) and inadequate problem-solving mechanisms on different levels, including lack of equal mental health care for Sámi and cultural values of managing by oneself ("ieš birget"). The findings are important when designing suicide prevention initiatives specifically targeting Sámi.
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