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Article
Publication date: 13 August 2018

Sue Holttum

The purpose of this paper is to explore recent research on reducing suicide, especially in men, who are often seen as excluding themselves from needing support, or they are…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore recent research on reducing suicide, especially in men, who are often seen as excluding themselves from needing support, or they are excluded because people think they do not want it.

Design/methodology/approach

A search was carried out for recent papers on suicide prevention in men.

Findings

One study of 75 regions of Europe reported a link between higher value on giving social support and lower suicide rates, especially for men. Another study reported on the fall in a previously high suicide rate, especially in men, in Quebec province in Canada. A programme of suicide prevention may have contributed to this reduction. Finally, a small interview study reported on how certain kinds of encounters with professionals can inspire hope to carry on after a suicide attempt.

Originality/value

The two papers looking at regions (across Europe and one province of Canada) suggest how social forces may contribute to reducing suicide, especially in men. The Canadian study suggests the possibility that suicide might be reduced partly by enabling help-seeking in men to be seen as a positive aspect of masculine identity, rather than seeing masculinity as excluding men from support. The small qualitative study illustrates vividly how individual encounters after a suicide attempt might promote hopefulness and are relevant to both sexes.

Details

Mental Health and Social Inclusion, vol. 22 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2042-8308

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 20 November 2009

Angus Dawson and Diego Silva

Suicide is primarily conceptualised as an event with causes relating to individual lives. However, we argue that it is impor tant not to lose sight of the fact that not all causes…

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Abstract

Suicide is primarily conceptualised as an event with causes relating to individual lives. However, we argue that it is impor tant not to lose sight of the fact that not all causes of suicide are related simply to individual action and circumstances. Clear evidence exists for some risk factors for suicide being visable at the population level or related to membership of various social groups. Strategies to prevent suicide, therefore, ought to focus on such causes (eg. injustice, discrimination, mental illness in general), not just on causes relating to individuals. In turn, this means that suicide prevention should not merely focus on trying to reduce access to the means of suicide by individuals (eg. shotguns in rural areas, pesticides in India, means of strangulation in prisons etc) but should expand to include such things as socio‐economic determinants and other population influences on mental health. We argue that suicide ought to be thought of as being, in an impor tant sense, a public health problem, and that the resources of public health ethics are one impor tant element in seeking to address this impor tant issue.

Details

Journal of Public Mental Health, vol. 8 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1746-5729

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 21 December 2015

Andrew Tuck, Kamaldeep Bhui, Kiran Nanchahal and Kwame McKenzie

– The purpose of this paper is to calculate the rate of suicide in different religious groups in people of South Asian origin in the UK.

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to calculate the rate of suicide in different religious groups in people of South Asian origin in the UK.

Design/methodology/approach

A cross-sectional, secondary analysis of a national data set. A name recognition algorithm was used to identify people of South Asian origin and their religion. Standardized mortality ratios (SMRs) were calculated using this data and data from the national census. Setting: a population study of all those who died by suicide in England and Wales in 2001. Participants: all cases of suicide and undetermined intent identified by the Office for National Statistics for England and Wales.

Findings

There were 4,848 suicides in the UK in 2001 of which 125 (2.6 percent) were identified as people of South Asian origin by the algorithm. The suicide rate for all people of South Asian origin was 5.50/100,000 compared to 9.31/100,000 for the population of England and Wales. The age SMR for those whose names were of Hindu, Muslim or Sikh origin were 0.88, 0.47 and 0.85, respectively. Female South Asians have lower rates of suicide, than their South Asian male counterparts.

Research limitations/implications

Religious classification by the computerized program does not guarantee religious affiliation. The data set were confined to one year because religion was not collected prior to the 2001 census.

Originality/value

The rates of suicide for South Asian sub-populations in the UK differ by gender and religion.

Details

International Journal of Human Rights in Healthcare, vol. 8 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2056-4902

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 March 2003

Christopher Littlejohn

Alcohol misuse is injurious to health, and commonly associated with suicide. However, correlation is not proof of causation: it is valid to consider that social inequalities, such…

Abstract

Alcohol misuse is injurious to health, and commonly associated with suicide. However, correlation is not proof of causation: it is valid to consider that social inequalities, such as unemployment and poverty, underlie alcohol misuse, ill health and suicide. Making alcohol misuse strategies central to health promotion and suicide reduction risks a victim‐blaming culture, in which health consequences are viewed as being solely related to an individual's behaviour, ignoring external social conditions; the majority of suicides not related to alcohol misuse being failed by such a policy; and further abdication of political intervention at a societal level.

Details

Drugs and Alcohol Today, vol. 3 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1745-9265

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 December 2001

E. Blaauw, A. Kerkhof, F. Winkel and L. Sheridan

Suicide is the main cause of death among prison inmates, comprising almost half of all deaths in penal institutions in the Netherlands. Suicides in prisons have major…

Abstract

Suicide is the main cause of death among prison inmates, comprising almost half of all deaths in penal institutions in the Netherlands. Suicides in prisons have major consequences. They are a cause of distress to prison staff, other inmates, relatives and partners. They may cause unrest among other inmates.Detecting suicide is difficult and requires the collection of information that may not be generally available on the ‘normal’ prison inmate.This paper describes research undertaken to identify factors that might indicate high suicide risk in a prison inmate. These factors were then weighted to provide a suicide screening tool that was able to identify 95% of inmates at risk of suicide.However identification of risk is only the first step; steps must be taken thereafter to ensure suicide does not occur. The effectiveness of preventive measures is an important area for future research.

Details

The British Journal of Forensic Practice, vol. 3 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1463-6646

Article
Publication date: 11 June 2024

Stephanie Bilderback

This paper explores the critical role of employee development programs (EDPs) in preventing workplace suicides, as underscored by 2019 statistics from the US Department of Labor…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper explores the critical role of employee development programs (EDPs) in preventing workplace suicides, as underscored by 2019 statistics from the US Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics. It identifies various industries with elevated suicide rates. It considers both work-related stressors, like fear of failure and autonomy loss, and external factors, like family or financial issues, as contributing factors. The paper advocates for EDPs to enhance employee-organization relationships, promoting engagement and positive change. Through skills training, coaching and job enrichment, EDPs intend to address employee concerns, offering support and contributing to suicide prevention.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper examines the role of EDPs in preventing employee suicides, a concern highlighted by the US Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics data on rising suicide rates. It uses the interpersonal theory of suicide to underline the urgency of addressing this global issue empirically. The paper proposes that EDPs, through skills training, coaching and job enrichment, can tackle underlying job satisfaction issues, fostering positive organizational change and enhancing employee well-being. It advocates for EDPs as a means to not only improve workplace dynamics but also potentially save lives.

Findings

This study finds that EDPs are vital in preventing suicides in organizational settings. EDPs address factors affecting job satisfaction and mental well-being, potentially leading to suicidal behavior. These programs enhance employee engagement and motivation by incorporating skill training, coaching and job enrichment. The study emphasizes the need for EDPs to promote positive organizational change and to improve employee well-being, thereby contributing to suicide prevention and fostering healthier employer-employee relationships, leading to broader social and mental health benefits.

Originality/value

This paper’s novelty stems from its exploration of EDPs as a strategy for preventing employee suicide. It offers a unique perspective by linking EDPs to suicide prevention, focusing on enhancing job satisfaction and mental well-being. Using the interpersonal theory of suicide, the paper not only underscores the global importance of suicide but also identifies high-risk occupations. It argues for EDPs as a proactive measure in organizations, presenting a new approach to employee suicide prevention with broad implications for organizational practices and employee welfare worldwide.

Details

International Journal of Organizational Analysis, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1934-8835

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 15 January 2021

Jennifer Pearson, Lindsey Wilkinson and Jamie Lyn Wooley-Snider

Purpose: Sexual minority youth are more likely than their heterosexual peers to consider and attempt suicide, in part due to victimization experienced within schools. While…

Abstract

Purpose: Sexual minority youth are more likely than their heterosexual peers to consider and attempt suicide, in part due to victimization experienced within schools. While existing research suggests that rates of school victimization and suicidality among sexual minority students vary by school and community context, less is known about variation in these experiences at the state level.

Methodology: Using data from a large, representative sample of sexual minority and heterosexual youth (2017 Youth Risk Behavior States Data, n = 64,746 high school students in 22 states), multilevel models examine whether differences between sexual minority and heterosexual students in victimization and suicide risk vary by state-level policies.

Findings: Results suggest that disparities between sexual minority and heterosexual boys in bullying, suicide ideation, and suicide attempt are consistently smaller in states with high levels of overall policy support for LGBTQ equality and nondiscrimination in education laws. Sexual minority girls are more likely than heterosexual girls to be electronically bullied, particularly in states with lower levels of LGBTQ equality. Disparities between sexual minority and heterosexual girls in suicide ideation are lowest in high equality states, but state policies are not significantly associated with disparities in suicide attempt among girls.

Value: Overall, findings suggest that state-level policies supporting LGBTQ equality are associated with a reduced risk of suicide among sexual minority youth. This study speaks to the role of structural stigma in shaping exposure to minority stress and its consequences for sexual minority youth's well-being.

Details

Sexual and Gender Minority Health
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-83867-147-1

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 11 September 2015

Jason Manning

In this chapter, I apply theories of conflict and social control derived from the work of Donald Black to explain when suicide attacks will occur and who will carry them out.

Abstract

Purpose

In this chapter, I apply theories of conflict and social control derived from the work of Donald Black to explain when suicide attacks will occur and who will carry them out.

Methodology/approach

Drawing on the published literature on suicide, suicide terrorism, and social control, I present a structural analysis of suicide attacks that specifies which configurations of social space and social time are most likely to produce them.

Findings

I propose that suicide attacks can be explained by structural patterns such as social distance, status inferiority, organization, and large movements of social time. Furthermore, sacrifice is greater among those who are socially marginal individuals whose locations are otherwise conducive to both partisanship and self-destruction.

Originality/value

I highlight structural similarities between suicide attacks and other forms of violence, social control, and suicide, thus contributing to the systemization of structural theories of human behavior and suggesting avenues for further study.

Details

Terrorism and Counterterrorism Today
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78560-191-0

Keywords

Abstract

Details

Mad Muse: The Mental Illness Memoir in a Writer's Life and Work
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78973-810-0

Book part
Publication date: 16 June 2022

Kathryn McGrath

Purpose: The author seeks to identify how suicide-bereaved individuals conceptualize their relationships with deceased loved ones. The author engages Durkheim’s theory of suicide

Abstract

Purpose: The author seeks to identify how suicide-bereaved individuals conceptualize their relationships with deceased loved ones. The author engages Durkheim’s theory of suicide to provide a new framework to analyze this population.

Methodology: The author uses qualitative research and coding methods to produce a secondary analysis of previously collected interview transcripts.

Findings: The author concludes that participants experience the suicide of a loved one as a social event, conceptualizing it similarly to how Durkheim defined his four suicide types – characterized by too much or too little regulation and/or integration.

Research Limitations: As a result of the secondary analysis, a lack of demographic information remains the largest limitation, and the available demographic information indicates the participant population is not a diverse one. Therefore, the larger analysis is limited.

Practical and Social Implications: This work provides potential ways to improve current prevention and postvention practices for both the suicide-bereaved and those struggling with suicidality. Subsequently, it may help to improve the health outcomes of these groups.

Originality: To the author’s current knowledge, this is the first published use of Durkheim’s Suicide (1897/1966) as a framework to directly examine the suicide-bereaved population in this way. Thus, this work contributes to suicidology and sociology more broadly in two ways: by providing a new way to understand and ultimately help a vulnerable population and by providing a new use of a classic theory.

Details

Facing Death: Familial Responses to Illness and Death
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-80382-264-8

Keywords

11 – 20 of over 8000