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Sex and ethnic differences among South Tirolean suicides: A psychological autopsy study

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 April 2020

Roger Pycha ,
Maurizio Pompili ,
Marco Innamorati ,
Josef Schwitzer ,
David Lester ,
Gabriele Sani ,
Roberto Tatarelli  and
Giancarlo Giupponi
Roger Pycha
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Brunico, Italy
Maurizio Pompili*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Sant’Andrea Hospital, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
Marco Innamorati
Affiliation:
Università Europea of Rome, Italy
Josef Schwitzer
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Hospital of Bressanone, Italy
David Lester
Affiliation:
The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey, NJ, USA
Gabriele Sani
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Sant’Andrea Hospital, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy
Roberto Tatarelli
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Sant’Andrea Hospital, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy
Giancarlo Giupponi
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Bolzano, Italy
*
*Corresponding author. Department of Psychiatry, Sant’Andrea Hospital, Sapienza University of Rome, Via di Grottarossa 1035, 00189 Roma, Italy. Tel.: +39 06 33775675; fax: +39 06 33775342. E-mail address: maurizio.pompili@uniroma1.itmpompili@mclean.harvard.edu (M. Pompili).
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Abstract

Objective

The aim of the research is to study whether any differences exist in the rates and characteristics of suicide by ethnicity and sex in South Tirol, Italy.

Methods

Psychological autopsy interviews were conducted for suicides who died between March 1997 and July 2006.

Results

332 individuals belonging to the three major South Tirolean ethnic groups (Germans, Italians, Ladins [Ladin is a Rhaeto-Romance language related to the Venetian and Swiss Romansh languages]) died by suicide. Around 23% of the victims had experienced suicidal behaviour among family members, and more than 31% of them had experienced trauma during their childhood. Germans were 1.37 times more at risk to commit suicide than Italians (95% CI: 1.04/1.80; z = 2.26, p < .05). 69% of the suicides had attended school for less than 8 years: Germans (OR = 4.62; 95% CI: 2.52/8.47; p < .001) and Ladins (OR = 11.24; 95% CI: 2.99/42.30; p < .001) were more likely to have lower education than Italians. There were several differences by ethnicity and sex but no sex-by-ethnicity interactions.

Conclusions

The study indicated that suicide, an alarming health and social problem in South Tirol, may require different preventive interventions for men and women and for those of different ethnicities.

Keywords

SuicidePsychological autopsyEthnicity
Type
Original article
Information
European Psychiatry , Volume 24 , Issue 1 , 2009 , pp. 47 - 56
Copyright
Copyright © Elsevier Masson SAS 2009

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