Transcultural Differences in Risk Factors and in Triggering Reasons of Suicidal and Self-Harming Behaviour in Young People with and without a Migration Background

Abstract

Minors with and without migration background can have different risk factors and triggering reasons for self-harming and suicidal behaviour. We retrospectively analysed the data of 192 children and adolescents to investigate the transcultural differences in self-harming, as well as suicidal behaviour in Austrian, Turkish, and Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian (BCS)-speaking patients, who were treated in an emergency out-patient clinic in Vienna. Our results showed transcultural differences in both behaviours. In all groups, females had higher rates of suicide attempts and self-harming behaviour than males. While Turkish-speaking patients received treatment more often, after attempted suicide, Austrians and BCS-speaking patients needed treatment more often for acute stress disorder. Suicide attempts and self-harming behaviours were triggered most frequently by intrafamilial problems, but more frequently in migrant patients. Turkish-speaking patients were at a more than 2 times (OR = 2.21, 95%CI: 1.408–3.477) higher risk for suicide attempts, and were triggered almost 3 times (OR = 2.94, 95%CI: 1.632–5.304) more often by interfamilial conflicts. The suicide attempts of BCS-speaking minors were more often caused by relationship and separation crises (OR = 2.56, 95%CI: 1.148–5.705). These transcultural differences in suicidal and self-harming behaviour of minors, demand an increase of transcultural competence to provide optimal treatment of migrant children.

Attempted suicide and suicide of young Turkish women in Europe and Turkey: A systematic literature review of characteristics and precipitating factors

“…Young Turkish women were overrepresented compared to men in studies of attempted suicide in both Europe and Turkey. For instance, among a Turkish speaking patient sample in Vienna, Austria, 71.5% of the suicide attempters were female [ 40 ]. The two studies with the most dramatic gender differences relative to attempted suicide (the sex ratio of women to men was 4:1) were conducted in more traditional areas in Turkey [ 50 , 54 ].…”

“…Relationship problems with spouses or families . Five of seven studies on attempted suicide from Europe [ 23 – 25 , 40 – 42 ] and eight of 11 studies from Turkey [ 13 , 44 , 45 , 50 , 51 , 53 , 54 , 56 ] highlighted relationship problems with spouses or families as precipitating factors. For example, one study conducted in Berlin found that 61% of female attempters reported a prior conflict with their spouse as the reason for the attempt [ 23 ].…”

Transcultural differences in suicide attempts among children and adolescents with and without migration background, a multicentre study: in Vienna, Berlin, Istanbul

“…In line with previous studies also in the present study [59][60][61], the number of female exceed those of male suicide attempters in all groups. While, suicide attempts are more common among females [58,[65][66][67][68][69] more males [70,71] die by virtue of completed suicide. According to the World Health Organisation (1999), globally male individuals commit 2-3 times more suicides than females, whereas suicide attempts are more frequent among women compared to men.…”

How do acculturation strategies and psychosomatic health among Turkish voluntary and involuntary migrants worldwide interplay? A systematic review

“…Nap, van Loon, Peen, van Schaik, Beekmann and Dekker (2015) showed that in addition to uptake, positive acculturation can be associated with lower care needs and improvements in quality of life occur as early as six months. Children and adolescents who had attempted suicide or adults who were in a separation situation were also treated (Özlü-Erkilic et al, 2020). In a review on the benefits of emergency clinics, it was noted that especially under-18s with a migration background sought help significantly more often than natives.…”

“…In addition, experiences of discrimination and couple conflicts within Turkish partnerships affect the severity of drug addiction (Haasen et al, 2004). Family or even interpersonal problems as well as homelessness are negatively associated with suicidal behavior (Özlü-Erkilic et al, 2020;Müller et al, 2018;Spiegler, Leyendecker & Kohl, 2015).…”