Suicidality and self-harm among sexual minorities in Japan

Qualitative Health Research

Volumn 18, Issue 10, 2008, Pages 1429-1441

  DiStefano, Anthony S ^a  

^a CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY   (United States)

Author keywords

Asia; Bisexuals; Ethnography; Gays and lesbians; General; Japan; Japanese; Minorities; Qualitative methods; Sexuality; Transsexuals; Violence; Vulnerable populations

Indexed keywords

ADULT; AGE DISTRIBUTION; ARTICLE; AUTOMUTILATION; BISEXUALITY; ETHNOGRAPHY; FAMILY VIOLENCE; FEMALE; HOMOPHOBIA; HUMAN; JAPAN; JOB STRESS; LESBIAN; MAJOR CLINICAL STUDY; MALE; MALE HOMOSEXUAL; MENTAL HEALTH; PARTNER VIOLENCE; PRIORITY JOURNAL; QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS; RISK FACTOR; SEXUAL MINORITY; SEXUALITY; SOCIAL ASPECT; SOCIAL BEHAVIOR; SOCIAL STATUS; SUICIDAL IDEATION; TRANSSEXUALISM; UNEMPLOYMENT; VULNERABLE POPULATION;

ADULT; BISEXUALITY; FEMALE; HOMOSEXUALITY; HUMANS; JAPAN; MALE; MIDDLE AGED; SELF-INJURIOUS BEHAVIOR; SUICIDE; TRANSSEXUALISM;

EID: 52349088555     PISSN: 10497323     EISSN: 15527557     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1177/1049732308322605     Document Type: Article

References (89)

1. Aihara, H., & Iki, M. (2003). An ecological study of the relations between the recent high suicide rates and economic and demographic factors in Japan. Journal of Epidemiology, 13(1), 56-61.
2. Akechi, T., Okamura, H., Nishiwaki, Y., & Uchitomi, Y. (2002). Predictive factors for suicidal ideation in patients with unresectable lung carcinoma. Cancer, 95(5), 1085-1093.
3. Awata, S., Seki, T., Koizumi, Y., Sato, S., Hozawa, A., Omori, K., et al. (2005). Factors associated with suicidal ideation in an elderly urban Japanese population: A community-based, cross-sectional study. Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, 59(3), 327-336.
4. Bachnik, J., & Quinn, C. (1994). Situated meaning: Inside and outside in Japanese self, society and language. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
5. Bagley, C. (1992). Changing profiles of a typology of youth suicide in Canada. Canadian Journal of Public Health, 83, 169-170.
6. Bernard, R. (2002). Research methods in anthropology (3rd ed.). Walnut Creek, CA: AltaMira.
7. Bohus, M., Limberger, M., Ebner, U., Glocker, F.X., Schwarz, B., Wernz, M., et al. (2000). Pain perception during self-reported distress and calmness in patients with borderline personality disorder and self-mutilating behavior. Psychiatry Research, 95(3), 251-260.
8. Chalmers, S. (2001). Tolerance, form and female dis-ease: The pathologisation of lesbian sexuality in Japanese society. Intersections: Gender, History and Culture in the Asian Context, 6, 1-20.
9. Clements-Nolle, K., Marx, R., & Katz, M. (2006). Attempted suicide among transgender persons: The influence of gender-based discrimination and victimization. Journal of Homosexuality, 51(3), 53-69.
10. Cochran, S.D., & Mays, V.M. (2000). Lifetime prevalence of suicide symptoms and affective disorders among men reporting same-sex sexual partners: Results from NHANES III. American Journal of Public Health, 90(4), 573-578.
11. D'Augelli, A., Hershberger, S., & Pilkington, N. (2001). Suicidality patterns and sexual orientation-related factors among lesbian, gay, and bisexual youths. Suicide and Life Threat Behavior, 31(3), 250-264.
12. DiStefano, A. (2005). Violence involving sexual minorities in Japan. Los Angeles University of California, Los Angeles.
13. DiStefano, A. (2006 a). Stigma, discrimination, and mental health of sexual minorities in Japan. Poster presented at the American Public Health Association 134th Annual Meeting, Boston.
14. DiStefano, A. (2006 b, November). Report on violence involving sexual minorities in Japan: Summary and recommendations from the JLGBT Study: 2003-2004. San Francisco: University of California, San Francisco, Institute for Global Health.
15. DiStefano, A. (in press). Intimate partner violence among sexual minorities in Japan. Journal of Homosexuality.
16. Furukawa, M. (1995). The changing nature of sexuality: The three codes framing homosexuality in modern Japan. US-Japan Women's Journal (English suppl.), 7(1995), 98-127.
17. Fushimi, N. (1994, April 16). Social recognition for homosexuals [Japanese]. Asahi Shimbun, p. 4.
18. Garofalo, R., Wolf, R.C., Wissow, L.S., Woods, E.R., & Goodman, E. (1999). Sexual orientation and risk of suicide attempts among a representative sample of youth. Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, 153(5), 487-493.
19. Gelfland, M., & Dyer, N. (2000). Cultural perspectives on negotiation: Progress, pitfalls, and prospects. Applied Psychology: An International Review, 41, 62-99.
20. Glaser, B., & Straus, A. (1967). The discovery of grounded theory. Chicago: Aldine.
21. Gratz, K. (2001). Measurement of deliberate self-harm: Preliminary data on the deliberate self-harm inventory. Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment, 23, 253-263.
22. Greene, J.M., Ennett, S.T., & Ringwalt, C.L. (1999). Prevalence and correlates of survival sex among runaway and homeless youth. American Journal of Public Health, 89(9), 1406-1409.
23. Grunbaum, J.A., Kann, L., Kinchen, S., Ross, J., Hawkins, J., Lowry, R., et al. (2004). Youth risk behavior surveillance- United States, 2003. MMWR Surveillance Summaries, 53(2), 1-96.
24. Hamada, K. (2004). Policy making in deflationary Japan. The Japanese Economic Review, 55(3), 221.
25. Hawkins, J. (2000). Japan's journey into homophobia. Harvard Gay and Lesbian Review, 7(1), 36-38.
26. Hawton, K., Rodham, K., Evans, E., & Weatherall, R. (2002). Deliberate self harm in adolescents: Self report survey in schools in England. BMJ, 325(7374), 1207-1211.
27. Herdt, G. (1997). Same sex, different cultures: Gays and lesbians across cultures. Boulder, CO: Westview.
28. Hidaka, Y. (2001 a, October). Mental health and school-based verbal abuse among Japanese gay and bisexual men. Paper presented at the 129th Annual Meeting of the American Public Health Association, Atlanta, GA.
29. Hidaka, Y. (2001 b, August). Milestone events among Japanese gay and bisexual men. Paper presented at the 109th Meeting of the American Psychological Association, San Francisco.
30. Hidaka, Y. (2004). Sexual HIV risk behaviors, mental health and milestone events among Japanese gay and bisexual men. The Journal of AIDS Research, 6(3), 165-173.
31. Hidaka, Y., & Operario, D. (2006). Attempted suicide, psychological health and exposure to harassment among Japanese homosexual, bisexual or other men questioning their sexual orientation recruited via the Internet. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, 60(11), 962-967.
32. Huebner, D.M., Rebchook, G.M., & Kegeles, S.M. (2004). Experiences of harassment, discrimination, and physical violence among young gay and bisexual men. American Journal of Public Health, 94(7), 1200-1203.
33. Igartua, K.J., Gill, K., & Montoro, R. (2003). Internalized homophobia: A factor in depression, anxiety, and suicide in the gay and lesbian population. Canadian Journal of Commununity Mental Health, 22(2), 15-30.
34. Inoue, K., Tanji, H., Kaiya, H., Abe, S., Nishimura, Y., Masaki, M., et al. (2007). The correlation between unemployment and suicide rates in Japan between 1978 and 2004. Legal Medicine, 9(3), 139-142.
35. International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission. (1995). Japanese psychiatrists remove homosexuality from list of disorders. Retrieved April 1, 2005, from http://www.qrd.org/qrd/orgs/IGLHRC/1995/ japan.action.alert-06.28.95
36. Izutsu, T., Shimotsu, S., Matsumoto, T., Okada, T., Kikuchi, A., Kojimoto, M., et al. (2006). Deliberate self-harm and childhood hyperactivity in junior high school students. European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 15(3), 172-176.
37. Jacobs, J., & Tedford, W. (1980). Factors affecting the self-esteem of the homosexual individual. Journal of Homosexuality, 5, 373-382.
38. Kameya, Y., & Narita, Y. (2000). A clinical and psycho-sociological case study on gender identity disorder in Japan. Journal of Sex and Marital Therapy, 26(4), 345-350.
39. Kidd, S.A., & Kral, M.J. (2002). Suicide and prostitution among street youth: A qualitative analysis. Adolescence, 37(146), 411-430.
40. Krug, E., Mercy, J., Dahlberg, L., & Zwi, A. (2002). The world report on violence and health. Geneva, Switzerland: World Health Organization.
41. Kuwabara, H., Shiori, T., Nishimura, A., Abe, R., Nushida, H., Ueno, Y., et al. (2006). Differences in characteristics between suicide victims who left notes or not. Journal of Affective Disorders, 94, 145-149.
42. Leupp, G. (1995). Male colors: The construction of homosexuality in Tokugawa Japan. Berkeley: University of California Press.
43. Manderson, L., Kelaher, M., & Woelz-Stirling, N. (2001). Developing qualitative databases for multiple users. Qualitative Health Research, 11, 149-160.
44. Markus, H., & Kitayama, S. (1991). Culture and the self: Implications for cognition, emotion, and motivation. Psychological Review, 98, 224-253.
45. Matsumoto, T., Azekawa, T., Yamaguchi, A., Asami, T., & Iseki, E. (2004). Habitual self-mutilation in Japan. Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, 58(2), 191-198.
46. Matsumoto, T., Yamaguchi, A., Asami, T., Okada, T., Yoshikawa, K., & Hirayasu, Y. (2005). Characteristics of self-cutters among male inmates: Association with bulimia and dissociation. Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, 59(3), 319-326.
47. McLelland, M. (2004). From the stage to the clinic: Transgender identities in post-war Japan. Japan Forum, 16(1), 1-20.
48. Meyer, I.H. (1995). Minority stress and mental health in gay men. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 36(1), 38-56.
49. Ministry of Health Labor and Welfare. (2004). Vital statistics. Tokyo, Japan: Author.
50. Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications. (2006). Statistical handbook of Japan. Tokyo: Statistics Bureau & Statistical Research and Training Institute.
51. Nakao, M., & Takeuchi, T. (2006). The suicide epidemic in Japan and strategies of depression screening for its prevention. Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 84(6), 492-493.
52. Nakao, M., Yamanaka, G., & Kuboki, T. (2002). Suicidal ideation and somatic symptoms of patients with mind/body distress in a Japanese psychosomatic clinic. Suicide and Life Threatening Behavior, 32(1), 80-90.
53. Nakaya, N., Kikuchi, N., Shimazu, T., Ohmori, K., Kakizaki, M., Sone, T., et al. (2007). Alcohol consumption and suicide mortality among Japanese men: The Ohsaki Study. Alcohol, 41(7), 503-510.
54. National Police Agency. (2003). Hesei-14-nendo-chu-ni-okeru-jisatsu-no-gaiyo [Summary of suicide data for 2002]. Tokyo, Japan: Author.
55. Nishizono, M., & Yasuoka, H. (1979). Wrist cutting syndrome [Japanese]. Japanese Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 8, 1309-1315.
56. Ohara, K. (1963). Characteristics of suicides in Japan especially of parent-child double suicide. American Journal of Psychiatry, 120, 382-385.
57. Ono, Y., Tanaka, E., Oyama, H., Toyokawa, K., Koizumi, T., Shinohe, K., et al. (2001). Epidemiology of suicidal ideation and help-seeking behaviors among the elderly in Japan. Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, 55(6), 605-610.
58. Ortiz-Hernández, L., & García Torres, M. (2005). Effects of violence and discrimination on the mental health of bisexuals, lesbians, and gays in Mexico City. Cadernes de Saúde Pública, 21(3), 913-925.
59. Paivio, S.C., & McCulloch, C.R. (2004). Alexithymia as a mediator between childhood trauma and self-injurious behaviors. Child Abuse and Neglect, 28(3), 339-354.
60. Patton, G., Harris, R., Carlin, J., Hibbert, M., Coffey, C., Schwartz, M., et al. (1997). Adolescent suicidal behaviours: A population-based study of risk. Psychological Medicine, 27(3), 715-724.
61. Patton, M. (2002). Qualitative research and evaluation methods (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
62. Paul, J.P., Catania, J., Pollack, L., Moskowitz, J., Canchola, J., Mills, T., et al. (2002). Suicide attempts among gay and bisexual men: Lifetime prevalence and antecedents. American Journal of Public Health, 92(8), 1338-1345.
63. Rosenthal, R., Rinzler, C., Walsh, R., & Klausner, E. (1972). Wrist-cutting syndrome: The meaning of a gesture. American Journal of Psychiatry, 128, 1363-1368.
64. Rotheram-Borus, M., Hunter, J., & Rosario, M. (1994). Suicidal behavior and gay-related stress among gay and bisexual male adolescents. Journal of Adolescent Research, 9(4), 498-508.
65. Sakamoto, N., Martin, R.G., Kumano, H., Kuboki, T., & Al-Adawi, S. (2005). Hikikomori, is it a culture-reactive or culture-bound syndrome? Nidotherapy and a clinical vignette from Oman. International Journal of Psychiatry in Medicine, 35(2), 191-198.
66. Sax, L. (2002). How common is intersex? A response to Anne Fausto-Sterling. Journal of Sex Research, 39(3), 174-178.
67. Scientific Software Development. (2005). ATLAS.ti. Software for visual qualitative data analysis, management, and model building. Retrieved June 1, 2007, from http://www.atlasti.de
68. Skegg, K. (2005). Self-harm. Lancet, 366 (9495), 1471-1483.
69. Skegg, K., Nada-Raja, S., Dickson, N., Paul, C., & Williams, S. (2003). Sexual orientation and self-harm in men and women. American Journal of Psychiatry, 160(3), 541-546.
70. Spradley, J. (1979). The ethnographic interview. New York: Holt, Rinehart & Winston.
71. Spradley, J. (1980). Participant observation. New York: Holt, Rinehart & Winston.
72. Strauss, A., & Corbin, J. (1990). Basics of qualitative research: Grounded theory procedures and techniques. London: Sage.
73. Suwa, M., Suzuki, K., Hara, K., Watanabe, H., & Takahashi, T. (2003). Family features in primary social withdrawal among young adults. Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, 57(6), 586-594.
74. Takahara, K. (2007, January 23). Economic outlook still rosy: Cabinet. The Japan Times. Retrieved February 15, 2007, from http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nb20070123a3.html
75. Takei, N., Kawai, M., & Mori, N. (2000). Sluggish economics affect health of Japanese business warriors. British Journal of Psychiatry, 176, 494-495.
76. Terada, S. (2007, May 18). Economy grew just 0.6% in quarter. The Japan Times. Retrieved from http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/ nb20070518a1.html
77. Valentine, J. (1997). Skirting and suiting stereotypes: Representations of marginalized sexualities in Japan. Theory, Culture, and Society, 14(3), 57-85.
78. Willging, C.E., Salvador, M., & Kano, M. (2006). Brief reports: Unequal treatment: Mental health care for sexual and gender minority groups in a rural state. Psychiatric Services, 57(6), 867-870.
79. Williams, J.K., Wyatt, G.E., Resell, J., Peterson, J., & Asuan-O'Brien, A. (2004). Psychosocial issues among gay- and non-gay-identifying HIV-seropositive African American and Latino MSM. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 10(3), 268-286.
80. Willms, D.G., Taylor, D.W., Best, A., Gilbert, J., Wilson, D., Lindsay, E., et al. (1990). A systematic approach for using qualitative methods in primary prevention research. Medical Anthropology Quarterly, 4(4), 391-409.
81. World Health Organization. (2000). Distribution of suicide rates (per 100,000) by gender and age. Retrieved from http://www.who.int/ mental_health/prevention/suicide/suicide_rates_chart/en/index.html
82. World Health Organization. (2004). Suicide rates by gender and age, Japan. Retrieved from http://www.who.int/mental_health/media/japa.pdf
83. World Health Organization. (2006). WHO Statistical Information System, WHO Mortality Database. Available from http://www.who.int/whosis/mort/en/
84. World Health Organization. (2007). Suicide rates per 100,000 by country, year and sex. Retrieved from http://www.who.int/mental_health/prevention/ suicide_rates/en/index.html
85. Yamaguchi, A., Matsumoto, T., Odawara, T., & Takeuchi, N. (2004). Prevalence of self-mutilation in Japanese university students: A study using self-reporting questionnaire [Japanese]. Clinical Psychiatry, 46, 473-479.
86. Yamamura, T., Kinoshita, H., Nishiguchi, M., & Hishida, S. (2006). A perspective in epidemiology of suicide in Japan. Vojnosanit Pregl, 63(6), 575-583.
87. Yamashita, S., Takizawa, T., Sakamoto, S., Taguchi, M., Takenoshita, Y., Tanaka, E., et al. (2005). Suicide in Japan: Present condition and prevention measures. Crisis, 26(1), 12-19.
88. Young, J. (2002). Morals, suicide, and psychiatry: A view from Japan. Bioethics, 16(5), 412-424.
89. Zoroglu, S.S., Tuzun, U., Sar, V., Tutkun, H., Savacs, H.A., Ozturk, M., et al. (2003). Suicide attempt and self-mutilation among Turkish high school students in relation with abuse, neglect and dissociation. Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, 57(1), 119-126.