Schneider Children's Medical Center of Israel, Petah Tikva, Israel.
Can J Psychiatry. 2010 May;55(5):274-81. doi: 10.1177/070674371005500502.
Little research has focused on the relation of immigration and suicidal behaviour in youth. Nevertheless, the impact of migration on the mental health of youth is an issue of increasing societal importance. This review aimed to present studies on the prevalence of suicidal behaviour in immigrant youth in various countries and to provide possible explanations for suicidal behaviour in immigrant youth, especially regarding acculturation.
The review included a literature search to locate articles on the subject of suicidal behaviour in immigrant youth in the context of acculturation.
Studies on suicidal behaviour in culturally diverse youth are few and most of the existing research does not differentiate ethnic minorities from immigrants. Studies on epidemiology and on specific risk factors were found regarding various immigrant youth including Hispanics in the United States, Asians in North America and Europe, as well as comparative studies between different immigrant groups in specific countries.
The relation between immigration status and suicidal behaviours in youth appears to vary by ethnicity and country of settlement. Time spent in the new country as well as intergenerational communication and conflicts with parents have, in many of the studies, been related to suicidality in immigrant youth. Summing up, there is a clear and urgent need to further pursue the work in this field, to develop targeted public health interventions as well as psychosocial treatment for preventing suicide in these youth.
鲜有研究聚焦移民与青少年自杀行为之间的关系。然而，移民对青少年心理健康的影响是一个日益受到社会关注的问题。本综述旨在介绍不同国家移民青少年自杀行为的流行率，并为移民青少年的自杀行为提供可能的解释，尤其是在文化适应方面。
本综述进行了文献检索，以查找有关移民青少年在文化适应背景下自杀行为的文章。
针对具有不同文化背景的青少年的自杀行为研究较少，现有的大多数研究并未将少数民族与移民区分开来。研究发现，针对包括美国的西班牙裔、北美和欧洲的亚洲人以及特定国家不同移民群体之间的比较研究，均涉及到流行病学和特定风险因素方面的研究。
移民身份与青少年自杀行为之间的关系似乎因种族和定居国家而异。在许多研究中，移民青少年的自杀意念与在新国家的时间、代际沟通以及与父母的冲突有关。综上所述，显然迫切需要进一步开展这一领域的工作，制定有针对性的公共卫生干预措施以及针对这些青少年的心理社会治疗，以预防自杀。
