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The roles of culture and gender in the relationship between divorce and suicide risk: A meta-analysis

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  • Yip, Paul S.F.
  • Yousuf, Saman
  • Chan, Chee Hon
  • Yung, Tiffany
  • Wu, Kevin C.-C.

Abstract

With some exceptions, literature has consistently shown that divorced populations are at higher risk for suicide than married ones. Here we make use of coefficients of aggravation (COAs), suicide rate ratios of the divorcees over the married, to study patterns of COAs and test the contribution of international sociocultural factors and gender to the relationship between divorce and suicide. We conducted a systematic search of electronic databases to identify ecological studies reporting suicide rates and ratios of those rates within different marital statuses between Jan 1, 2000 and Dec 31, 2013. In total, ten studies consisting in suicide statistics of eleven countries/areas were selected. Using random-effect modeling, we noted that the pooled COA for men and women were 3.49 (95% CI 2.43–4.56) and 3.15 (95% CI 1.74–4.56), suggesting both divorced men and women exhibited a greater risk of suicide than their married counterparts. Subgroup analyses revealed that COAs in Asian countries are significantly higher than those in non-Asian ones. Among the sociocultural measures retrieved from the HOFSTEDE index and the World Values Surveys, we noted significant associations between COA and four measures, including the individualism–collectivism score, the long-term orientation scores, the survival/self-expression score, and the gender inequality indices. The magnitudes and the directions of the associations however differ by sex. The results confirm that overall divorced people have an aggregate higher suicide risk than married ones. The method used in our research could reveal what cultural indicators are exerting effect on the relationship between divorce and suicide risk, which might change with sociocultural transition. More investigation into the relationships and then the construction of culturally appropriate suicide prevention policy is recommended.

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  • Yip, Paul S.F. & Yousuf, Saman & Chan, Chee Hon & Yung, Tiffany & Wu, Kevin C.-C., 2015. "The roles of culture and gender in the relationship between divorce and suicide risk: A meta-analysis," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 128(C), pages 87-94.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:128:y:2015:i:c:p:87-94
    DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2014.12.034
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    1. Yip, Paul S.F. & Chen, Ying-Yeh & Yousuf, Saman & Lee, Carmen K.M. & Kawano, Kenji & Routley, Virginia & Ben Park, B.C. & Yamauchi, Takashi & Tachimori, Hisateru & Clapperton, Angela & Wu, Kevin Chien, 2012. "Towards a reassessment of the role of divorce in suicide outcomes: Evidence from five pacific rim populations," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 75(2), pages 358-366.
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    3. Kyung-Sook, Woo & SangSoo, Shin & Sangjin, Shin & Young-Jeon, Shin, 2018. "Marital status integration and suicide: A meta-analysis and meta-regression," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 197(C), pages 116-126.
    4. Hideaki Kawaguchi & Soichi Koike, 2016. "Association between the Density of Physicians and Suicide Rates in Japan: Nationwide Ecological Study Using a Spatial Bayesian Model," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 11(2), pages 1-9, February.
    5. Chen, Ying-Yeh & Chen, Mengni & Lui, Carrie S.M. & Yip, Paul S.F., 2017. "Female labour force participation and suicide rates in the world," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 195(C), pages 61-67.
    6. Vandoros, Sotiris & Avendano, Mauricio & Kawachi, Ichiro, 2019. "The association between economic uncertainty and suicide in the short-run," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 220(C), pages 403-410.
    7. Yeung, Cheuk Yui & Men, Yu Vera & Caine, Eric D. & Yip, Paul Siu Fai, 2022. "The differential impacts of social deprivation and social fragmentation on suicides: A lesson from Hong Kong," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 315(C).
    8. Mitch Kunce, 2022. "The Tenuous Ecological Divorce and Unemployment Link with Suicide: A U.S. Panel Analysis 1968-2020," Journal of Statistical and Econometric Methods, SCIENPRESS Ltd, vol. 11(3), pages 1-2.
    9. Daniel Hideki Bando & Ligia Vizeu Barrozo & Fernando Madalena Volpe, 2020. "Geographical clusters and social risk factors for suicide in the city of São Paulo, 2006–2015: An ecologic study," International Journal of Social Psychiatry, , vol. 66(5), pages 460-468, August.

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