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American Journal of Epidemiology Vol. 127, No. 3: 640-653
Copyright © 1988 by The Johns Hopkins University School of Hygiene and Public Health

research-article

CONVERGENCE OF IMMIGRANT SUICIDE RATES TO THOSE IN THE DESTINATION COUNTRY

ERICH V. KLIEWER1, and R. H. WARD

1Department of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia Vancouver, BC, Canada
2Department of Health Care and Epidemiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia Vancouver, BC, Canada

Reprint requests to Dr. Erich Kliewer, Department of Human Genetics, 501 Wintrobe Building, University of Utah Medical School, Salt Lake City, UT 84132

Factors influencing the 1969–1973 suicide rate in 25 immigrant groups in Canada were investigated. Standardized mortality ratios (SMRs) were calculated for each group relative to the suicide rates in the origin country populations. Compared with their origin countries, immigrant females exhibited a significant increase in suicide rates (SMR = 1.11, p < 0.01), whereas immigrant males did not (SMR = 0.98). Another set of standardized mortality ratios were then calculated for both origin and immigrant populations using the Canadian native-born rates as the standard. For the majority of immigrant groups, the standardized mortality ratios were significantly different from the ratios of their corresponding origin country populations, with 60% of the female immigrant groups and 41% of the male immigrant groups exhibiting higher ratios. Considerable variation was observed in the immigrant standardized mortality ratios, with a significant-proportion of this variability being associated with the suicide rates in the origin countries (males r = 0.60, p < 0.01; females r = 0.47, p < 0.05). Using the standardized mortality ratios based on the Canadian native-bom rates, the degree of "convergence" of immigrant suicide rates to the Canadian native-bom rates was examined. Overall, significant convergence occurred for both sexes (p < 0.01), with the immigrant suicide rates converging 40% of the initial difference between the standardized mortality ratios for the origin country and the Canadian native-bom.

emigration and immigration; ethnic groups; mortality; suicide


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