Suicidal behavior in a bicultural society: a review of gender and cultural differences in adolescents and young persons of Aotearoa/New Zealand.

During the 1990s, Aotearoa/New Zealand has experienced an alarming increase in youth suicide in the Maori and non-Maori populations. Among 23 Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development countries surveyed by the World Health Organization's (1995) World Health Statistics Annual, New Zealand ranks first for fatal suicidal behavior, in males 15-24 years of age, and third for fatal suicidal behavior in females. A United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF, 1996) survey of 32 countries places New Zealand males as third highest for fatal suicidal behavior, and females as eighth highest in the age group 15-24 years. New Zealand has recently undergone a number of social and economic changes that have created dramatic social and cultural shifts. Given the rapidity of these changes, the shock on such a small country has been difficult to absorb. These shifts have placed tremendous pressures on families and service support systems, such as health and mental health services, to develop programs that are relevant and acceptable for a bicultural society. This article focuses on these changes and the effect they have had on cultural narratives of gender and suicidal behavior, the different cultural etiologies that underlie these statistics, and recommendations for intervention and prevention program development.