Open AccessSuicide and suicide-related behavior among Bhutanese refugees resettled in the United States.
Author(s) -
Jonah Meyerhoff,
Kelly J. Rohan,
Karen M. Fondacaro
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
asian american journal of psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.883
H-Index - 27
eISSN - 1948-1985
pISSN - 1948-1993
DOI - 10.1037/aap0000125
Subject(s) - refugee , suicide prevention , population , psychopathology , poison control , psychology , interpersonal communication , psychiatry , clinical psychology , medicine , medical emergency , environmental health , social psychology , political science , law
Suicidal behavior and death by suicide are significant and pressing problems in the Bhutanese refugee community. Currently, Bhutanese refugees are dying by suicide at a rate nearly two times that of the general U.S. population. Proper identification of risk factors for suicide saves lives; however, if risk is underestimated due to culturally inflexible risk assessments, preventable deaths may continue to occur. In this review, we examine specific cultural factors related to psychopathology and suicide among Bhutanese refugees. To contextualize the current suicide crisis among Bhutanese refugees, we propose an integration of the interpersonal psychological theory of suicide (Joiner, 2005) and the cultural model of suicide (Chu, Goldblum, Floyd, & Bongar, 2010). We provide recommendations for preventing suicide from a systems framework and discuss practical lessons from a preliminary study designed to test a culturally-responsive model of suicide in Bhutanese refugees.