RESUMO
Suicide is a global concern, hence, cross-cultural research ought to be important; yet, there is a paucity of cross-cultural study in suicidology. This study sought to investigate suicide notes drawn from India and the United States, as these countries have similar suicide rates but markedly different cultures. A thematic or theoretical-conceptual analysis of 72 suicide notes drawn from these countries, matched for age and gender, was undertaken, based on Leenaars' (1996) multidimensional model of suicide. The results suggested that there were more commonalities than differences; yet, not consistent with previous cross-cultural studies of suicide notes, Indian notes expressed more indirect expression including veiled aggression, or aggression turned inward, and unconscious dynamics. It was concluded that the model may be applicable to suicide in both countries, but also much greater study in India is warranted on collectivism and dissembling as a suicide risk factor.
Assuntos
Agressão/psicologia , Anedotas como Assunto , Ansiedade/psicologia , Atitude Frente a Morte , Atitude Frente a Saúde , Suicídio/psicologia , Comparação Transcultural , Feminino , Humanos , Índia , Relações Interpessoais , Masculino , Prontuários Médicos , Fatores de Risco , Estresse Psicológico/psicologia , Estados UnidosRESUMO
Over 100,000 people commit suicide each year in India; yet, there has been limited micro-based study. This study marks the first study of suicide notes in India. The sample consisted of all available note-writers (n = 50), with a comparative sample of non-note writers (n = 50) of all suicides (n = 320, 16.47% of all postmortems) during a 1(1/2) year period in the New Delhi area, India. Using the demographic (descriptive) schema of Ho, Yip, Chiu, and Halliday (1998), the results show that note writers do not differ greatly from other suicides. Males wrote more notes, but the more intriguing finding is the fact that suicide in India is associated to an array of psychiatric/psychological and social factors.
