Department of Epidemiology, Columbia University, New York, New York, United States of America.
PLoS One. 2011 Feb 17;6(2):e14704. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0014704.
Arab-American (AA) populations in the US are exposed to discrimination and acculturative stress-two factors that have been associated with higher suicide risk. However, prior work suggests that socially oriented norms and behaviors, which characterize recent immigrant ethnic groups, may be protective against suicide risk. Here we explored suicide rates and their determinants among AAs in Michigan, the state with the largest proportion of AAs in the US.
METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: ICD-9/10 underlying cause of death codes were used to identify suicide deaths from among all deaths in Michigan between 1990 and 2007. Data from the 2000 U.S. Census were collected for population denominators. Age-adjusted suicide rates among AAs and non-ethnic whites were calculated by gender using the direct method of standardization. We also stratified by residence inside or outside of Wayne County (WC), the county with the largest AA population in the state. Suicide rates were 25.10 per 100,000 per year among men and 6.40 per 100,000 per year among women in Michigan from 1990 to 2007. AA men had a 51% lower suicide rate and AA women had a 33% lower rate than non-ethnic white men and women, respectively. The suicide rate among AA men in WC was 29% lower than in all other counties, while the rate among AA women in WC was 20% lower than in all other counties. Among non-ethnic whites, the suicide rate in WC was higher compared to all other counties among both men (12%) and women (16%).
CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Suicide rates were higher among non-ethnic white men and women compared to AA men and women in both contexts. Arab ethnicity may protect against suicide in both sexes, but more so among men. Additionally, ethnic density may protect against suicide among Arab-Americans.
美国的阿拉伯裔美国人（AA）群体面临着歧视和文化适应压力，这两个因素与更高的自杀风险有关。然而，之前的研究表明，最近移民群体所具有的以社交为导向的规范和行为可能对自杀风险具有保护作用。在这里，我们探讨了密歇根州（美国 AA 比例最高的州） AA 人群的自杀率及其决定因素。
方法/主要发现：使用 ICD-9/10 根本死因代码来识别 1990 年至 2007 年期间密歇根州所有死亡病例中的自杀死亡病例。收集了 2000 年美国人口普查的数据作为人口分母。通过直接标准化法，按性别计算 AA 和非裔白种人年龄调整后的自杀率。我们还按居住在韦恩县（该州 AA 人口最多的县）内外进行分层。1990 年至 2007 年，密歇根州 AA 男性的自杀率为每年每 10 万人 25.10 人，女性为每年每 10 万人 6.40 人。AA 男性的自杀率比非裔白种男性低 51%，AA 女性的自杀率比非裔白种女性低 33%。韦恩县 AA 男性的自杀率比该县以外的所有县都低 29%，而韦恩县 AA 女性的自杀率比该县以外的所有县都低 20%。在非裔白种人中，与该县以外的所有县相比，韦恩县的男性（12%）和女性（16%）自杀率都更高。
结论/意义：在这两种情况下，非裔白种男性和女性的自杀率都高于 AA 男性和女性。在两性中，阿拉伯民族可能都具有保护作用，而在男性中这种保护作用更为明显。此外，族裔密度可能对阿拉伯裔美国人的自杀具有保护作用。
