Factors affecting suicidal ideation among premenopausal and postmenopausal women

Abstract

Accessible summary What is known on the subject? Pre‐ and postmenopausal women (PPW) experience changes in physical, psychological and social health. South‐East Asia’s female suicide rate is the highest compared with other countries, and the suicide rate of PPW in these countries continues to increase. The most influential factor in Asian women’s suicidal ideation is family conflict; specifically, if PPW in South Korea cannot express their anger, it results in a culture‐bound syndrome called “Hwa‐Byung.” However, there is a lack of research on Asian PPW. What the paper adds to existing knowledge? This study found differences in individual‐ and community‐level factors affecting suicidal ideation between pre‐ and postmenopausal women. Individual factors that commonly affected suicidal ideation were experiencing violence, stress and depression. Individual factors that affected the suicidal ideation of premenopausal women more than postmenopausal women were religious beliefs, alcohol use and chronic disease. Community level factors affecting suicidal ideation were locational depression and locational counselling for stress in premenopausal women and locational counselling for depression in postmenopausal women. What are the implications for practice? Mental health nurses could help prevent suicide by developing and applying community‐based programmes for PPW, considering the specific socio‐economic and cultural context and characteristics of Asian women. Mental health nurses could help PPW participate in programmes by preparing various interventions such as case management, personal counselling, physical activity, home‐based mental health services, cognitive behavioural therapy and digital interventions for self‐management. Mental health nurses need to prepare various methods such as online, offline, individual and group methods to work effectively in any social situation. Abstract IntroductionPre‐ and postmenopausal women (PPW) experience physical and psychological changes with hormonal changes. Among Asian middle‐aged women, family and culture affect suicidal ideation, and the suicide rate among this population is increasing. There are few existing research on suicidal ideation among Asian PPW. AimWe examined individual‐ and community‐level factors that predict suicidal ideation among PPW. MethodLarge‐scale panel data from 5,154 South Korean PPW aged 35–64 years were used in a series of multilevel logistic regression analyses to examine factors associated with suicidal ideation at individual and community levels. ResultsAmong premenopausal women, religious beliefs, alcohol use, chronic disease, experience of violence, stress and depression were individual‐level factors. Locational depression and locational counselling for stress were community‐level factors. Among postmenopausal women, experience of violence, stress, depression and perceived health status were individual level factors, and locational counselling for depression was a community level factor. DiscussionSuicidal ideation among PPW is affect...

Exposure to violence and the presence of suicidal and self-harm behaviour predominantly in Asian females: scoping review

“…In our review, the most common risk factor associated with suicide and/or suicidal behaviour due to domestic violence was mental illness and/or psychological distress [27,29,30,33]. Domestic violence has significant health consequences for women, children, and families.…”

“…The 19 articles included in the review were peer reviewed and original. Sixteen of the articles were conducted in Southeast Asia; four were from India [17][18][19][20]; two each from Bangladesh [21,22], Afghanistan [23,24], and China [25,26]; and one each from Sri Lanka [27], Nepal [8], Iran [28], South Korea [29], and the Philippines [30]. One study each from South-Asian immigrants in the UK [31] and multiple countries in Southeast Asia [32] and a study from several countries, which included South America, Asia, Africa, Oceania, and Europe, were included [9].…”

“…Many Asian countries lack structured mental health legislation, and governments have allocated limited funds for psychiatric services [39]. Healthcare workers need to use culturally validated tools to detect conditions that link violence and suicidal behaviour in Asia, such as depression, anxiety, and general psychological stress [23,24,27,29,30]. For example, the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) has been used widely in many Asian regions and is deemed appropriately sensitive and specific to the required task [40].…”

Do Sex/Gender and Menopause Influence the Psychopathology and Comorbidity Observed in Delusional Disorders?

“…Women have more access to prescription medications than men and men have more access to guns, which means that suicidal men use more lethal means—women may thus attempt suicide more often, but men more often complete suicide [ 59 ]. Furthermore, women are more likely than men to report suicidal ideation and to, thus, receive protective social support [ 60 , 61 ]. However, age at menopause was positively associated with the intensity of suicidal ideation in sample of 25 women with DD [ 40 ], which suggests that neuroprotection conferred by estrogens may play a role.…”

Mediating Effect of Quality of Sleep Moderated by Meaning in Life on the Relationship between Hwabyung and Suicidal Ideation in Middle-Aged Korean Women

“…Insomnia is a representative physical symptom that appears in the early stages of Hwabyung, and sleep time and quality are related to Hwabyung symptoms [ 21 , 22 , 23 ]. The Hwabyung experienced by middle-aged women before and after menopause is a symptom that should be treated seriously because it can affect extreme thoughts, such as suicide [ 24 ]. When looking at the results of previous studies that showed that decreased sleep time increased suicidal ideation [ 25 , 26 , 27 ], it is evident that a continuous decrease in sleep time can hinder healthy daily life factors.…”