Citation

Kazjarov M. Psychiatr. Danub. 2006; 18(Suppl 1): 61-62.

Affiliation

Psycho-neurological dispensary under the Ministry of Health of Kabardino-Balkarian Republic Moscovskaya str. 4, 142, Kabardino-Balkarian Republic, 360000 Nalchik, Russia. kanevskaya@inbox.ru.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2006, Facultas Universitatis Studiorum Zagrabiensis - Danube Symposion of Psychiatry)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

16963953

Abstract

The aim of this research was to study the cultural differences in the genesis of suicide among two large and long contacting ethnoses (Kabardian and Russian) of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic. We studied 226 suicides (Kabardian -132, Russian - 94) using clinical-psychological, clinical-psychopathological and statistical methods. 180 were mentally healthy, 46 were mentally ill (recurrent depressive disorder - 23, paranoid schizophrenia - 23). According to the obtained data the suicide styles of healthy Kabardians correlated with conflicts of two cultural patterns of behaviour (traditional and dominant). During the conflicts that lead to suicide the development of cognitive-affective disharmony was accompanied by the significant dominance of shame emotions that activated autodestruction in presuicide. Among healthy Russian suicides social-psychological disadaptation was not connected with behaviour deviations from the cultural norms. It was typical for them to have variable frustrated psychological demands and the absence of significant domination of any emotional patterns over all spectrum of psychalgia. In the group of mentally ill suicides phychopathology played a leading role in suicide attempts in both ethnic groups and unified their motivation processes. The peculiarities of correlation between genesis of suicide and cultural norms among mentally healthy members of two different ethnos are discussed. The danger of suicide of Kabardinians due to the high sensitivity to the emotion of shame during stress is typical to their collectivistic culture of shame emotions. The revealed ethno-cultural differences in the genesis of suicide are important for developing preventive suicide measures in the regions.

Language: en