Ethnic differences in adolescent self-poisoning: a comparison of Asian and Caucasian groups

• Published in: Journal of adolescence (London, England.) Vol. 14; no. 2; pp. 157 - 162
• Main Authors: Handy, S., Chithiramohan, R.N., Ballard, C.G., Silveira, W.R.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01.06.1991; Elsevier Science; Academic Press for the Association for the Psychiatric Study of Adolescents
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adolescents; Asia - ethnology; Asian Cultural Groups; Asian People; Asians; behavior problems; Biological and medical sciences; Conflict; cultural conflict; Cultural Differences; cultural heritage; Culture; Ethnic Minorities; Family; Family Problems; Female; Foreign Countries; Humans; Male; Medical sciences; nationalities and ethnic groups; poisoning; Poisoning - ethnology; Psychiatric epidemiology; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Retrospective Studies; Self Destructive Behavior; Social psychiatry. Ethnopsychiatry; Suicide; Suicide, Attempted - ethnology; Suicide, Attempted - psychology; United Kingdom; United Kingdom - epidemiology; Whites; United Kingdom; Human; Etiology; Adolescent; Poisoning; Suicide; Epidemiology; Ethnic group
• ISSN: 0140-1971; 1095-9254
• DOI: 10.1016/0140-1971(91)90028-P

A study of self-poisoning in 25 Asian and 25 Caucasian adolescents is presented. Cultural conflicts were the most important factors in the parasuicidal behaviour of Asian children, whereas a variety of factors accounted for the parasuicidal behaviour of Caucasians with a predominance of a disrupted family background. There was little difference in the type of poisoning and the degree of pre-planning between the two groups.