NCJ Number
228729
Journal
Aggression and Violent Behavior Volume: 14 Issue: 5 Dated: September/October 2009 Pages: 402-414
Date Published
October 2009
Length
13 pages
Annotation
This paper provides a comprehensive research review of gender differences in rates of and risk factors for adolescent suicidal behavior.
Abstract
A significant finding emerging from the review is that, in spite of differences in the overall levels of suicidal behavior among the cultural groups, the gender paradox in suicidal behavior was demonstrated in every single cultural group. The gender paradox is a term that describes the evidence that although females attempt suicide significantly more often than males, males complete suicide more often than females. Additional findings of the review include: (1) a continued failure to identify adolescent males at risk for suicide if clinicians and interventionists rely heavily on expressions of nonfatal suicidal behavior to identify at-risk individuals and (2) gender disparity in suicide completions between males and females was found to vary widely among the four ethnic groups. The data presented provides supporting evidence for the necessity of considering the gender paradox within a cultural context. With considerable research conducted on adolescent suicide in the United States, little has focused on the suicidal behavior of adolescents within various cultural groups, and even less on understanding gender differences. The purpose of this paper was to synthesize existing research on culture and gender differences in rates of and risk factors for adolescent suicidal behavior. Specifically, gender differences in the rates of and risk factors for suicidal behavior are examined within four of the largest cultural subgroups within the United States: African-Americans, Native Americans, Asian Americans, and Latino Americans. Table, figures, and references