Resource Tag: MEXICO

Despite considerable ethnographic research with young people in street situations & a growing interest in violence, little attention has been paid to suicide. The occurrence of suicide is a dramatic event that reveals weaknesses in support systems established by governments & civil society organisations, as well as perceived failings of friends. While an interest in […]

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This report describes ethnic & gender differences in suicide ideation among 2 large samples of middle school students in New Mexico (n=2140) & Texas (n=1302). Students completed a self-administered questionnaire on suicide ideation & psychosocial risk factors. Mexican Americans in both samples reported significantly higher prevalence of suicide ideation than did their European American counterparts. […]

This article is an English translation. The original Spanish text is also available.

This article is an English translation. The original Spanish text is also available.

This article is also available in Spanish.

A Spanish text of this article is also available.

This study assessed the prevalence levels of anxiety & depression in a sample of Mexican migrant farmworkers in the northwest Ohio/southeast Michigan area. Workers were asked open-ended questions about the stressors in their life. A content analysis revealed 17 stressors, over half of which were identified by at least one-fourth of the sample. The overall […]

This article describes a tradition in Mexican culture called Dia de los Muertos or Day of the Dead. It discusses how the tradition is rooted in both indigenous & Christian cultures. The cultural & historical influences on Mexico’s past have influenced Mexican’s attitudes toward death, which is celebrated, mocked & welcomed.

Despite the increase in Mexican-American immigration over the past 2 decades, the acculurative experience & its relationship to suicide risk have received little attention. This paper summarizes findings from community-based studies that have explored risk factors among immigrant & Mexican-American groups & suggests directions for future research.

Paraquat is a herbicide used world wide. The authors report on 25 cases of Paraquat poisoning in the state of Chiapas, Mexico that occurred between 1988 and 1990. 80% of the cases were men and 64% of these cases died. Attention to the law, redesign of paraquat packaging and educational efforts directed at populations at […]

New findings are presented from a survey of depressive symptoms, illicit drug use, & suicidality among 4,157 adolescents in 6 border cities in Texas & Tamaulipas, Mexico. Among the Texas youth, 23.43% said they had thought about killing themselves during the past week. 11.57% of the Mexican youth reported current suicidal ideation. Multivariate models are […]

A suicide opinion questionnaire (SOQ) was administered to 76 Mexican Americans & 76 Anglos, equated on several demographic dimensions. An item analysis yielded statistically significant differences on 35 of the 100 SOQ items. These items centered on the following themes: religion, psychopathology, aggression-impulsivity, acceptability of suicide, the “cry for help” dimension, & emotional impact. The […]

This brief article describes the results of a study which compared the motives, fantasy context, & attitudes towards death of French & Mexican adolescents. The author found the idea of death among Mexicans clearer and less fantasy-laden. (VM)

This brief article describes suicide among the pre-Hispanic Maya. The most common means of suicide was hanging, which was related to the worship of Ixtab, the goddess of the gallows. (VM)

Presents a summary of replies received in response to an international survey as to the state of suicide prevention in 1979.

Self-reported suicide ideation & attempts were examined among 2,393 Mexican-Americans (706 born in Mexico, 538 born in the USA) & non-Hispanic whites (1,149 born in the USA). Of the three groups, M-A’s born in Mexico reported lower age & gender-adjusted rates of suicide thoughts & attempts. Rates were not affected by degree of acculturation when […]

The authors present a sociological view of suicide in Mexico. They claim that 1) loss of or decrease in social status is a condition that predisposes to suicide, & 2) that a rise in economic & social welfare brings with it an increase in suicide rates. The effect of demographic variables–age, sex, marital status, occupation, […]

In Spanish: This study attempts to determine accurate rates of suicide, homicide & accidents in Mexico. Problems encountered in determining these rates are discussed & research methodology is presented. The authors conclude that the formulation of an equation to determine the true rate of suicide is possible, but not reliable. They recommend that death certificates […]

This anthropologic study of the Mexican culture identifies 3 social stratum, existent since the 16th century, that continue to influence societal attitudes: the lower(Indian/Mestizo)class; the middle(Creole)class & the upper(Spaniards)class. Resultant societal expectations, together with migration from rural to urban areas, can interfere with social adaptations to the extent that depression and indirect self destructive behavior […]

This study is an investigation of Mexican-Americn, Anglo(Caucasian) & black suicide rates in El Paso, Texas for the periods 1963-1965 & 1970-1972. Differences were noted in marital status, sex, age & native born status. Some findings of significance for Mexican-Americans were: (1) an increase in rates of suicide for the young male; (2) Mexican-American suicide […]