Suicide-Protective Role for Men Investing in Family Care

Official statistics and research studies investigating gender differences in suicide show suicide rates are generally higher in men than in women. The result is not the same throughout the world due to cultural differences. A new study by Colorado State University gives perception about factors that contribute to men's suicide vulnerability. The study is based on Professor of Psychology, Canetto's theory that men's suicide mortality is more related to men's private-life behavior apart from factors of their public lives.

Though previous theories predicting high male suicide rates happen when their employment and economic-provider roles are under threat, they do not fully explain men's suicide vulnerability.

According to Canetto,men overinvest in economic-provider work, and underinvest in family care work, this pattern makes them vulnerable to suicide when economic-provider work is threatened or lost.

The researchers involved in this study examined suicide, male family caregiving, and unemployment in 20 countries and found that suicide rates were lower in countries where men reported more family care work. They also show employment benefits did not reduce male suicide rates.

Here family caregiving is defined as providing personal care or education for a child, and/or providing care for a dependent adult.

"Our study took a public health perspective. It examined population-level social and economic factors that may be driving population suicide patterns, across a range of countries”, said Canetto, Professor of Psychology, Colorado State University.

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The findings of this study reported in Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology suggest incorporating support for engagement in family care work in programs aimed at reducing men's suicide mortality.

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Source-Medindia