[Suicide mortality among Turks in Germany].

BACKGROUND

Suicide mortality is usually higher among men than among women. In socially disadvantaged groups, this relationship can be reversed. We investigated whether this is the case among Turkish migrants in Germany.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

We calculated age- and sex-specific suicide rates for Turkish nationals residing in (West) Germany (1186 suicides) and for Germans aged below 65 years based on death registration data covering the period 1980-1997.

RESULTS

Age-adjusted suicide rates among Turks were lower than among Germans (relative risk 0.3). Among Turkish girls and young women under 18 years, however, the relative risk compared to Germans was 1.8 (95% confidence interval 1.4-2.3). The male-to-female ratio in this age group was 3.2 among Germans and 0.6 among Turks.

DISCUSSION

Overall, Turks living in Germany have a lower suicide mortality than Germans. Possible explanations include a high level of social coherence in the Turkish community and religious prohibitions. The high suicide rate among Turkish girls and young women could indicate the presence of social or cultural conflict situations.