medigraphic.com
Instituto Nacional de Salud Pública

2009, Number 4

<< Back Next >>

salud publica mex 2009; 51 (4)

Suicide notes from Mexico and the United States: a thematic analysis

Chávez-Hernández Ana-María, Leenaars AA, Chávez-de Sánchez María-Isabel, Leenaars L

Language: English
References: 46
Page: 314-320
PDF size: 133.46 Kb.


ABSTRACT

Objective. This study sought to investigate suicide notes drawn from Mexico and the United States (US) as these countries share geographical proximity, but markedly different cultures and suicide rates. Material and Methods. A theoretical conceptual analysis of 102 suicide notes drawn from these countries, matched for age and sex, was undertaken based on a thematic model of suicide developed by Leenaars,1,2 across countries. Results. The inter-judge reliability was adequate (.86 coefficient of concordance). Conclusions. The results suggested that there are more psychological commonalities than differences. Yet, as this study marks the first one using suicide notes, between Mexico and the USA, much greater study is warranted.


REFERENCES

  1. Leenaars A. Suicide. A multidimensional malaise. Suicide Life Threat Behav 1996;26:221-235.

  2. Leenaars A. Psychotherapy with suicidal people. Chichester: John Wiley & Sons, 2004.

  3. Leenaars A, Connolly J, Cantor C, EchoHawk M, Gailiene D, He Z, et al. Suicide, assisted suicide, and euthanasia: International perspectives. Ir J Psychol Med 2001;18:33-37.

  4. World Health Organization (WHO). World report on violence and health. Krug EG et al., eds. Geneva: WHO, 2002.

  5. Eshun S. Sociocultural determinants of suicide ideation: A comparison between American and Ghanian college samples. Suicide Life Threat Behav 2003;33:165-171.

  6. Lester D. Suicide in an international perspective. Suicide Life Threat Behav 1999;24:245-255.

  7. Durkheim E. Suicide: A study in sociology. (J.A. Spaulding & G. Simpson, Trans.). Glencoe, IL: Free Press, 1951 (Original work published 1897).

  8. World Health Organization (WHO). The World Health Report 2000. [internet series] Mental health: new understanding, new hope 2001 [consulted 2002 may 20]. Avalaible in: http://www.who.int/whr.2001.

  9. Aguilar J, Coutino R, Gonzalez-Leon M, Lopez M. A glance to suicide in Chiapas. Psiquis 1997; 6(5): 95- 102.

  10. Gonzalez-Forteza C, Marino M, Mondragon L, Medina-Mora ME. Suicide attempts in students from Pachuca, Hgo, and its relationship with depressive mood and substance abuse. Revista Mexicana de Psicologia 1998;15(2):165-175.

  11. Department of Health Mexico. Mortality Causes. [online monograph]. 2005 [consulted 2007 December 20]. Available in: http://sinais.salud.gob.mx/mortalidad/tabs/m_005.xls

  12. Jimenez-Tapia A, Gonzalez-Forteza C. Twenty-five years of research on suicide at the Epidemiological and Psychosocial Research Department of the National Institute of Psychiatry, Ramón de la Fuente. Salud Mental 2003; 26(6):35-46.

  13. Chavez-Hernandez A, Paramo-Castillo D, Leenaars A, Leenaars L. Suicide notes in Mexico: What do they tell us? Suicide Life Threat Behav 2006;36:709-715.

  14. Hijar M, Chu L, Kraus JF. Cross-national comparison of injury mortality: Los Angeles country, California and Mexico City, Mexico. Int J Epidemiol 2000;29:715-721.

  15. Nock M, Borges G, Bromet E, Alonso J, Angermeyer M, Beautrais A, et al. Cross-national prevalence and risk factors for suicidal ideation, plans and attempts. Br J Psychiatry 2008; 192:98-105.

  16. Shneidman E, Farberow N. (Eds.). Clues to suicide. New York: Harper & Row, 1957.

  17. Maris R. Pathways to suicide. Baltimore, MD: John Hopkins University Press, 1981.

  18. Hjelmeland H, Kinyanda E, Knizek BL, Qwens V, Nordvik H, Svarva K. A discussion of the value of cross-cultural studies in search of the meaning(s) of suicidal behavior and the methodological challenges of such studies. Arch Suicide Res 2006;10:15-27.

  19. Boismont B. Du suicide et la folie suicide. Paris: Germer Bailliere, 1856

  20. Wolff H. Suicide notes. American Mercury 1931;24:264-272.

  21. Frederick C. Suicide notes: A survey and evaluation. Bulletin of Suicidology, March 1969;27-32.

  22. Ho T, Yip P, Chiu C, Halliday P. Suicide notes: what do they tell us? Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica 1998;98:467-473.

  23. Girdhar S, Leenaars A, Dogra TD, Leenaars L, Kumar G. Suicide notes in India: what do they tell us? Arch Suicide Res 2004;8:179-185.

  24. Demirel B, Akar T, Sayin A, Candansayar S, Leenaars A. Farewell to the world: Suicide notes from Turkey. Suicide Life Threat Behav 2007;38:123-128.

  25. Leenaars A. Suicide notes. New York: Human Sciences Press, 1988.

  26. Leenaars A, Balance W. A logical empirical approach to the study of suicide notes. Can J Behav Sci 1984;16:248-256.

  27. Leenaars A. Suicide across the adult life-span: an archival study. Crisis 1989;10:132-151.

  28. Leenaars A, de Wilde E, Wenckstern S, Kral M. Suicide notes in adolescents: A life-span comparison. Can J Behav Sci 2001;33:47-57.

  29. Carnap R. Psychology in physical language. In A. Ayer (Ed.), Logical positivism. New York: Free Press (Original work published 1931);1959:165-197.

  30. Ayer A. Logical positivism. New York: Free Press, 1959.

  31. O’Connor R, Sheeby N, O’Connor D. A thematic analysis of suicide notes. Crisis 1999; 20: 106-114.

  32. Barak A, Miran O. Writing characteristics of suicidal people on the internet: A psychological investigation of emerging social environments. Suicide Life Threat Behav 2005;35:507-524.

  33. Lester D. A comparison of fifteen theories of suicide. Suicide Life Threat Behav 1994;24:80-88.

  34. Shaughnessy J, Zechmeister E, Zechmeister J. Research methods in psychology. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2000.

  35. 35.Shneidman E. Definition of suicide. New York: Wiley, 1985.

  36. Leenaars A. Suicide: A cross-cultural theory. In F. Leong & M. Leach (Eds.). Suicide among racial and ethnic groups: Theory, research, and practice. New York: Routledge, 2007:13-37

  37. Gonzalez-Forteza C, Ramos L, Caballero MA, Wagner F. Psychosocial correlates for depression, ideation and suicide attempts in Mexican adolescents. Psicothema 2003; 15(4): 524-532.

  38. Gonzalez-Forteza C, Chavez-Hernández AM, Alvarez M, Saldaña A, Carreño S, Pérez R. Prevalence of deliberate self-harm in adolescents students in Guanajuato State, México: Measurement: 2003. J Soc Behav Pers 2005; 33: 777-792.

  39. Leenaars A. Suicide notes from Canada and United States. Perceptual and Motor Skills 1992; 74: 278.

  40. Leenaars A, Lester D, Wenckstern S, Heim N. Suicide notes from Germany and the United States. Suizidprophylaxe 1994; 3: 99-101. [In German]

  41. O’Connor R, Leenaars A. A thematic comparison of suicide notes drawn from Northern Ireland and the United States. Current Psychology 2004; 22: 339-347.

  42. Leenaars A, Fekete S, Wenckstern S, Osvath P. Suicide notes from Hungary and the United States. Psychiatrica Hungarica 1998; 13: 147-159. [In Hungarian]

  43. Leenaars A, Lester D, Lopatin A, Schustov D, Wenckstern S. Suicide notes from Russia and the United States. Social and General Psychiatry 2002; (12) 3: 22-28. (In Russian).

  44. Leenaars A, Haines J, Wenckstern S, Williams C, Lester D. Suicide notes from Australia and the United States. Perceptual and Motor Skills 2003; 92: 1281-1282.

  45. Dahlberg L, Krug E. Violence – a global public health problem. In World Health Organization (Ed.), World report on violence and health. Geneva: World Health Organization, 2002:3-21.

  46. Siegel S. Nonparametric statistics. New York: Mcgraw-Hill, 1956.




2020     |     www.medigraphic.com