Canetto S S, Sakinofsky I
Department of Psychology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins 80523-1876, USA.
Suicide Life Threat Behav. 1998 Spring;28(1):1-23.
In most Western countries females have higher rates of suicidal ideation and behavior than males, yet mortality from suicide is typically lower for females than for males. This article explores the gender paradox of suicidal behavior, examines its validity, and critically examines some of the explanations, concluding that the gender paradox of suicidal behavior is a real phenomenon and not a mere artifact of data collection. At the same time, the gender paradox in suicide is a more culture-bound phenomenon than has been traditionally assumed; cultural expectations about gender and suicidal behavior strongly determine its existence. Evidence from the United States and Canada suggests that the gender gap may be more prominent in communities where different suicidal behaviors are expected of females and males. These divergent expectations may affect the scenarios chosen by females and males, once suicide becomes a possibility, as well as the interpretations of those who are charged with determining whether a particular behavior is suicidal (e.g., coroners). The realization that cultural influences play an important role in the gender paradox of suicidal behaviors holds important implications for research and for public policy.
在大多数西方国家，女性自杀意念和行为的发生率高于男性，但女性自杀死亡率通常低于男性。本文探讨了自杀行为的性别悖论，检验其有效性，并批判性地审视了一些解释，得出结论：自杀行为的性别悖论是一种真实现象，而非仅仅是数据收集的产物。同时，自杀中的性别悖论是一种比传统认知中更受文化束缚的现象；关于性别和自杀行为的文化期望强烈地决定了它的存在。来自美国和加拿大的证据表明，在对女性和男性有不同自杀行为期望的社区中，性别差距可能更为显著。一旦自杀成为一种可能性，这些不同的期望可能会影响女性和男性选择的场景，以及负责判定特定行为是否为自杀行为的人员（如验尸官）的解读。认识到文化影响在自杀行为的性别悖论中起着重要作用，对研究和公共政策具有重要意义。
