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Article: Towards a reassessment of the role of divorce in suicide outcomes: evidence from five pacific rim populations

TitleTowards a reassessment of the role of divorce in suicide outcomes: evidence from five pacific rim populations
Authors
KeywordsConfucianism
Culture
Divorce
Hong Kong
Japan
South Korea
Suicide
Taiwan
Victoria
Issue Date2012
PublisherPergamon. The Journal's web site is located at http://www.elsevier.com/locate/socscimed
Citation
Social science & medicine, 2012, v. 75 n. 2, p. 358-366 How to Cite?
AbstractThe connection between divorce and suicide risk in Asia is unclear. To understand the contribution of cultural transitions to suicide among the divorced, we compare age- and sex-specific suicide rates among divorced men and women from five Pacific Rim populations: Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea and the state of Victoria in Australia. On a cultural spectrum, we consider Hong Kong and Taiwan to lie between the more individualistic Australian culture and the more collectivistic Japanese and Korean cultures. Coefficients of aggravation (COA) are also compared. Suicide rates were found to be higher among the divorced than among other marital status groups in all five populations, but this difference was small in Victoria. The effect of divorce was significantly greater for men than for women only in Japan and South Korea. In the other populations, divorced men and women were at equal risk. Age trends in suicide rates for the divorced groups differed across populations. The COAs for the divorced group aged 40 or younger in the East Asian populations were higher than the COAs for older divorced groups, though this was not the case in the Victorian population. Suicide patterns among the divorced in the East Asian populations can be understood in terms of the legacy of Confucian traditions. Gender differences in Japan and South Korea may reflect either gender inequality (male dominance in formal interactions and emotional dependence in domestic life within a deteriorating Confucian family support system) or unique socio-cultural factors among married women. Divorced East Asian groups aged 40 or younger may be at a higher risk of suicide due to individual-level cultural ambivalence combined with a desire for systemic-level emotional interdependence. Social welfare regimes in the four East Asian populations need to fill the vacancy left by retreating traditional family systems. Research implications are discussed.
Persistent Identifierhttp://hdl.handle.net/10722/172303
ISSN
2023 Impact Factor: 4.9
2023 SCImago Journal Rankings: 1.954
ISI Accession Number ID
References

 

DC FieldValueLanguage
dc.contributor.authorYip, PSFen_US
dc.contributor.authorChen, YYen_US
dc.contributor.authorYousuf, Sen_US
dc.contributor.authorLee, CKMen_US
dc.contributor.authorKawano, Ken_US
dc.contributor.authorRoutley, Ven_US
dc.contributor.authorBen Park, BCBen_US
dc.contributor.authorYamauchi, Ten_US
dc.contributor.authorTachimori, Hen_US
dc.contributor.authorClapperton, Aen_US
dc.contributor.authorWu, KCCen_US
dc.date.accessioned2012-10-30T06:21:16Z-
dc.date.available2012-10-30T06:21:16Z-
dc.date.issued2012en_US
dc.identifier.citationSocial science & medicine, 2012, v. 75 n. 2, p. 358-366en_US
dc.identifier.issn0277-9536en_US
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10722/172303-
dc.description.abstractThe connection between divorce and suicide risk in Asia is unclear. To understand the contribution of cultural transitions to suicide among the divorced, we compare age- and sex-specific suicide rates among divorced men and women from five Pacific Rim populations: Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea and the state of Victoria in Australia. On a cultural spectrum, we consider Hong Kong and Taiwan to lie between the more individualistic Australian culture and the more collectivistic Japanese and Korean cultures. Coefficients of aggravation (COA) are also compared. Suicide rates were found to be higher among the divorced than among other marital status groups in all five populations, but this difference was small in Victoria. The effect of divorce was significantly greater for men than for women only in Japan and South Korea. In the other populations, divorced men and women were at equal risk. Age trends in suicide rates for the divorced groups differed across populations. The COAs for the divorced group aged 40 or younger in the East Asian populations were higher than the COAs for older divorced groups, though this was not the case in the Victorian population. Suicide patterns among the divorced in the East Asian populations can be understood in terms of the legacy of Confucian traditions. Gender differences in Japan and South Korea may reflect either gender inequality (male dominance in formal interactions and emotional dependence in domestic life within a deteriorating Confucian family support system) or unique socio-cultural factors among married women. Divorced East Asian groups aged 40 or younger may be at a higher risk of suicide due to individual-level cultural ambivalence combined with a desire for systemic-level emotional interdependence. Social welfare regimes in the four East Asian populations need to fill the vacancy left by retreating traditional family systems. Research implications are discussed.en_US
dc.languageengen_US
dc.publisherPergamon. The Journal's web site is located at http://www.elsevier.com/locate/socscimeden_US
dc.relation.ispartofSocial science & medicineen_US
dc.subjectConfucianism-
dc.subjectCulture-
dc.subjectDivorce-
dc.subjectHong Kong-
dc.subjectJapan-
dc.subjectSouth Korea-
dc.subjectSuicide-
dc.subjectTaiwan-
dc.subjectVictoria-
dc.subject.meshCulture-
dc.subject.meshDivorce - statistics and numerical data-
dc.subject.meshFar East - epidemiology-
dc.subject.meshSex Factors-
dc.subject.meshSuicide - ethnology-
dc.titleTowards a reassessment of the role of divorce in suicide outcomes: evidence from five pacific rim populationsen_US
dc.typeArticleen_US
dc.identifier.emailYip, PSF: sfpyip@hku.hken_US
dc.identifier.emailLee, CKM: carmenll@hku.hk-
dc.identifier.emailWu, KCC: ccwu88@ntu.edu.tw-
dc.identifier.authorityYip, PSF=rp00596en_US
dc.description.naturelink_to_subscribed_fulltexten_US
dc.identifier.doi10.1016/j.socscimed.2012.03.009en_US
dc.identifier.pmid22560797-
dc.identifier.scopuseid_2-s2.0-84861330524en_US
dc.identifier.hkuros211114-
dc.relation.referenceshttp://www.scopus.com/mlt/select.url?eid=2-s2.0-84861330524&selection=ref&src=s&origin=recordpageen_US
dc.identifier.volume75en_US
dc.identifier.issue2en_US
dc.identifier.spage358en_US
dc.identifier.epage366en_US
dc.identifier.isiWOS:000305493600015-
dc.publisher.placeUnited Kingdomen_US
dc.identifier.scopusauthoridWu, KCC=24473835100en_US
dc.identifier.scopusauthoridClapperton, A=8684067000en_US
dc.identifier.scopusauthoridTachimori, H=6602270245en_US
dc.identifier.scopusauthoridYamauchi, T=55206217100en_US
dc.identifier.scopusauthoridBen Park, BC=13905388800en_US
dc.identifier.scopusauthoridRoutley, V=6505848424en_US
dc.identifier.scopusauthoridKawano, K=36874904400en_US
dc.identifier.scopusauthoridLee, CKM=37034334600en_US
dc.identifier.scopusauthoridYousuf, S=54886462700en_US
dc.identifier.scopusauthoridChen, YY=52163268600en_US
dc.identifier.scopusauthoridYip, PSF=7102503720en_US
dc.identifier.citeulike10694560-
dc.identifier.issnl0277-9536-

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