Citation

Ponizovsky AM, Ritsner MS, Modai I. J. Am. Acad. Child Adolesc. Psychiatry 1999; 38(11): 1433-1441.

Affiliation

Psychiatric Epidemiology Research Unit, Talbieh Mental Health Center, Jerusalem, Israel. shrritsner@matat.health.gov.il

Copyright

(Copyright © 1999, American Academy of Child Adolescent Psychiatry, Publisher Lippincott Williams and Wilkins)

DOI

10.1097/00004583-199911000-00019

PMID

10560231

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: A community survey was conducted to examine suicidal ideation and suicide attempts, behavior problems, psychological distress, social support, and adjustment difficulties in a sample of adolescents. METHOD: Four hundred six Russian-born Jewish immigrants to Israel, aged 11 to 18 years, were selected to match the age and sex distribution of the total immigrant adolescent population. Two indigenous samples of Jewish adolescents in Russia (n = 203) and in Israel (n = 104) were matched with immigrants for comparison. Parameters of interest were measured with self-administered questionnaires. RESULTS: The 6-month prevalence rate of suicidal ideation in the immigrant sample (10.9%) was significantly higher than that for Russian controls (3.5%) but not for Israeli natives (8.7%). There were few gender differences in suicidal ideation and suicide attempts. Older adolescents reported suicidal ideation 2 times more frequently than their younger counterparts. Suicide ideators scored significantly higher than nonideators on all scales of psychological distress and behavior problems. They rated higher sources of immigration difficulties concerning language, physical health, personality characteristics, and family problems but had less socioeconomic and intercultural problems of migration and lower social support from the family but not from other sources. CONCLUSIONS: Results clearly support the migration-convergence hypothesis of suicide risk among adolescents.

Language: en