Transcultural Differences in Risk Factors and in Triggering Reasons of Suicidal and Self-Harming Behaviour in Young People with and without a Migration Background

Zeliha Özlü-Erkilic, Thomas Wenzel, Oswald D. Kothgassner and Türkan Akkaya-Kalayci
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Zeliha Özlü-Erkilic: Outpatient Clinic of Transcultural Psychiatry and Migration Induced Disorders in Childhood and Adolescence, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria
Thomas Wenzel: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria
Oswald D. Kothgassner: Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria
Türkan Akkaya-Kalayci: Outpatient Clinic of Transcultural Psychiatry and Migration Induced Disorders in Childhood and Adolescence, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 18, 1-14

Abstract: Minors with and without migration background can have different risk factors and triggering reasons for self-harming and suicidal behaviour. We retrospectively analysed the data of 192 children and adolescents to investigate the transcultural differences in self-harming, as well as suicidal behaviour in Austrian, Turkish, and Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian (BCS)-speaking patients, who were treated in an emergency out-patient clinic in Vienna. Our results showed transcultural differences in both behaviours. In all groups, females had higher rates of suicide attempts and self-harming behaviour than males. While Turkish-speaking patients received treatment more often, after attempted suicide, Austrians and BCS-speaking patients needed treatment more often for acute stress disorder. Suicide attempts and self-harming behaviours were triggered most frequently by intrafamilial problems, but more frequently in migrant patients. Turkish-speaking patients were at a more than 2 times (OR = 2.21, 95%CI: 1.408–3.477) higher risk for suicide attempts, and were triggered almost 3 times (OR = 2.94, 95%CI: 1.632–5.304) more often by interfamilial conflicts. The suicide attempts of BCS-speaking minors were more often caused by relationship and separation crises (OR = 2.56, 95%CI: 1.148–5.705). These transcultural differences in suicidal and self-harming behaviour of minors, demand an increase of transcultural competence to provide optimal treatment of migrant children.

Keywords: suicide attempt; self-harming; emergency psychiatry; transcultural differences; migration background; risk factors; triggering reasons (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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