COMPARATIVE STUDY OF SUICIDE POTENTIAL AMONG PAKISTANI AND AMERICAN PSYCHIATRIC PATIENTS

Abstract

This study compared suicide potential and suicide attempts in 50 Pakistani and 50 American psychiatric patients all of whom reported a positive history of suicide attempts during the past 1–5 years. It further explored the role of nationality, gender, diagnosis, and marital status in respondents' potential for suicide and suicide attempts. The American sample reported a higher degree of suicide potential on the Firestone Assessment of Self-Destructive Thoughts (FAST), more suicide attempts, and a larger number of suicide precipitants (family conflicts, work pressure, wish for death, loneliness, financial problems, and mental disorders/drug withdrawal) than did the Pakistani sample. For suicide attempts, effects of 3-way interaction for gender, marital status and nationality were found significant. However, these effects were non-significant for respondent's potential for suicide. In addition, the FAST was found to have a significantly high correlation with suicide attempts. Thus, it may be inferred that the FAST can be used as a valuable screening instrument for the identification of patients at risk for suicide in diverse cultural settings. However, more prospective validity studies are needed to enhance our cross-cultural understanding of suicide; identification of psychiatric patients at risk for suicide by the FAST; and for effective treatment and prevention programs for Eastern and Western societies.

Yasmin Nilofer Farooqi, PhD is now Professor at the Department of Applied Psychology, University of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan.

This research project was funded by the Fulbright Scholar's Program, U.S. Department of States, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and the Council for International Exchange of Scholars, Washington, DC. Moreover, Dr. Daphne Bugental of University of California, Santa Barbara and Drs. Lisa Firestone and Robert Firestone of the Glendon Association provided technical assistance in data collection and analysis.

Notes

¹Firestone Assessment of Self-Destructive Thoughts. Copyright © 1999 by R. W. Firestone and L. Firestone. Translated and reproduced by Yasmin Nilofer Farooqi, PhD with permission of the publishers, The Psychological Corporation. All rights reserved.

Note. $ = US Dollars per month; Rs = Pakistani Rupees per month; n = Number of patients; Freq = Frequency; R = Range.

Note. M = Mean Scores; SD = Standard Deviation; N = Number of patients.

Note. Freq = Frequency.

Note. r = Correlation Coefficients; *p < .05. **p < .01.

Note. r = Correlation Coefficients; *p < .05. **p < .01.

Note. All non-significant two-way and three-way interactions were omitted. *p < .05. **p < .01. df = degrees of freedom.