Citation

Mandavia A, Huang D, Wong J, Ruiz B, Crump F, Shen J, Martinez M, Botcheva L, Vega E, Chu J, Lewis S, Yang LH. Isr. J. Psychiatry Relat. Sci. 2017; 54(1): 39-48.

Affiliation

Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, N.Y., U.S.A. Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, New York University, New York, U.S.A.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2017, Israel Psychiatric Association, Publisher Israel Science Publishers)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

28857757

Abstract

BACKGROUND: While Asian groups have immigrated worldwide, suicide risk models have neglected to integrate cultural components. This study incorporates how stigma associated with failure to uphold clan/kinship roles can increase suicide risk in highly-marginalized Lao-Americans.

METHODS: One focus group with five Lao participants and 21 individual semi-structured interviews with community family members were conducted. Transcripts were coded via directed content analysis using the "What Matters Most" and Cultural Theory of Suicide frameworks.

RESULTS: Violating role-expectations associated with youth, adults and older adults appears to be associated with risk for suicide. This suggests that the failure of adults to fulfill their roles might potentially threaten loss of "full personhood" and trigger stigma, thus potentially evoking greater suicide risk.

CONCLUSION: Interventions would benefit from cultural considerations of fulfilling role-expectations and "personhood" to combat suicide and stigma within cultural communities.

Language: en