An Overview of Suicide Research in China

Abstract

Chinese suicide research did not start until the end of 1970s, when China opened its door to the West through reforming its economy. Although limited Chinese suicide research conducted overseas is published and known to the West, studies conducted by Chinese researchers and published in Chinese language, which may be of more significance, are rarely known or cited in the West. Further, researchers in China with direct observation of the suicidal environment may understand the suicide differently than scholars overseas with second hand information, and therefore derive different explanations of Chinese suicide. This current study overviews suicide research conducted in China and published in Chinese during the past two decades and compares the findings with what has been reported in Western publications. Six research books and 429 journal articles are reviewed. As units of analyses, all journal articles are quantified with 151 variables analyzed. Results support findings of previous studies in terms of the suicide rates by gender, age, and rural/urban location. A unique phenomenon in Chinese suicide noticed in the study is that married Chinese are at higher risk of suicide than the non-married. Hypotheses for future research are suggested based on the articles reviewed. KeywordsChinese culture; China; gender; rural; suicide methods in China; suicide rates in China Suicide in China has become a focus of study in recent years, partly because of increasingly available data and the astonishingly high rates of Chinese suicide publicized in previous reports. Since 1987, the Chinese Ministry of Public Health (CMPH) has reported vital statistics, including those for suicide, to the World Health Organization (WHO) on an annual basis. However, few researchers out of China have obtained suicide data from various local governments in China, because suicide is still a politically sensitive topic in the nation. Therefore, the world's knowledge of Chinese suicide is generally based on what is provided by WHO Statistical Annuals, which are limited to only the rates by age, gender, and rural/ urban location provided by the Chinese government. Based on the WHO data, Chinese suicide is unique in comparison with those in the rest of the world in at least two ways. First, Chinese women commit more suicides than do Chinese men, while the reverse is true for the rest of the world (Lester, 1990; WHO, 1988 WHO, -1995Zhang, 1996). Second, rural Chinese commit more suicides than urban Chinese do, while in most parts of the world, suicide rates are higher in cities than in the country (Lester 1990). In addition, the Chinese suicide age pattern is generally a bimodal one, though the first peak of suicide rates is between 15-24, instead of around the age of 25-34 as found other societies, and this is particularly true among rural females. Therefore, suicide by rural young women in China is an urgent focus in suicide research.

Religious Involvement and Depression: Evidence for Curvilinear and Stress‐Moderating Effects Among Young Women in Rural China

“…In the patrilineal Chinese society, familial and marital relationships are highly male-dominated (Yang 1970). As a result, Chinese family and marriage are characterized by male domination and even chauvinism, which hardly functions as a protective factor against mental disorders for women (Zhang et al 2010). Indeed, family issues (including domestic violence and spousal conflicts) lead to increased levels of depression among young Chinese women (Cong et al 2012;Lau 2011;Lee et al 1997;Wang et al 2012).…”

“…Rates of mental disorders among young women far exceed those of their male counterparts in rural China (Pearson ; Zhang et al. ). In addition, it has long been recognized that Hebei Province is an ideal place for studying the rural Chinese population (Yan ), since for centuries Hebei has been a traditional agricultural province with over 75 percent of its population classified as rural (National Bureau of Statistics of China ).…”

“…The sample was focused on rural young Chinese women, considering that rural women-who constitute the majority of Chinese female population-represent one of the most disadvantaged social groups in China (Dai 1991). Rates of mental disorders among young women far exceed those of their male counterparts in rural China (Pearson 1995;Zhang et al 2010). In addition, it has long been recognized that Hebei Province is an ideal place for studying the rural Chinese population (Yan 2010), since for centuries Hebei has been a traditional agricultural province with over 75 percent of its population classified as rural (National Bureau of Statistics of China 2001).…”

Studying Suicide with Psychological Autopsy: Social and Cultural Feasibilities of the Methodology in China

“…Because a great number of suicides (approximately 63%) in China are related to family or marital disputes (Zhang et al, 2002), choosing a next of kin as informant for the interview should be done with great caution. If a rural woman committed suicide after physical and/or psychological abuse at home, the chance of obtaining an accurate history about the suicide's last few days is slim if we interview only her husband or mother‐in‐law.…”

“…Suicide has been an alarming social problem in China, claiming about 300,000 lives each year (Brown, 1997; Murray & Lopez, 1996; World Health Organization, 1988–1995), with more women than men, higher rates in rural areas than in urban, and greater risks for young population aged 15–24 than the younger and the middle‐aged (Macleod, 1998; Phillips, Liu, & Zhang, 1999; Pritchard, 1996; Qin & Mortensen, 2001; World Health Organization, 1988–1995; Yip, 2001; Zhang, 1996, 2000a). Researchers both in and out of China are trying to identify the factors that account for the high suicide rates among Chinese rural young women (Ji, Kleinman, & Becker, 2001; Lester, 1994; Yip, Callanan, & Yuen, 2000; Zhang, 1999; Zhang, Jia, Wieczorek, & Jiang, 2002). To understand the causes and social‐environmental factors of completed suicide, psychological autopsy may be the best scientific method available to researchers (Clark & Horton‐Deutsch, 1992, p. 145).…”