General
- 25.6% of Turkish people have had suicidal thoughts, suicidal behaviors, or suicidal declarations (Demirkaya, Tutkunkardas, & Mukaddes, 2016)
- 23% of adolescents (age 13-18) report having thought about killing themselves during their lifetime in a small city in Turkey (Eskin et al., 2007)
- Consistent with these findings it was found that 22.4% of students in Adana, Turkey had suicidal thoughts (Payci et al, 2005).
- 14.1% of students in Adana, Turkey report having planned to commit suicide (Payci et al., 2005).
- 2.5% of adolescents (age 13-18) report having attempted to kill themselves in a small city in Turkey (Eskin et al., 2007)
- A slightly higher estimate for attempted suicide, 6.2% was found in Adana, Turkey (Payci et al. (2005).
Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions: Turkey vs. U.S.
- Power Distance — Turkey (66) and U.S. (40)
- Individualism/Collectivism — Turkey (37) and U.S. (91)
- Feminine/Masculine — Turkey (45) and U.S. (62)
- Uncertainty Avoidance — Turkey (85) and U.S. (46)
Gender (Click here for more about gender, Click here for more about women)
- Suicidal attempts are equally common in girls and boys. Suicidal ideation is more frequent among adolescent girls (29.5%) than adolescent boys (15.3%) (Eskin et al., 2007).
- Girls ages 13-18 are more depressed than boys, but also have higher perceived social support than boys. Boys ages 13-18 have higher self-esteem than girls (Eskin et al., 2007).
- This differential in suicide rates is linked to Turkey’s masculine culture and the subordination of women, especially in rural areas (Coskun 2012).
- Sexual violence is strongly correlated with suicide – 52% of sexual violence victims report suicidal ideation and 25% report attempting suicide (Unlu 2016).
Religion
- 98% of people in Turkey are Muslim (Beaty, 2015).
- Islam condemns the act of committing suicide. It is found that suicide rates are lower in countries that have a religion that condemns suicide. (Kelleher, 2014)
- There is a clash between Western ideals and Islamic beliefs in Turkey at the moment.
Stigmatized Identities (Click here for more on stigmatized identities)
- People with stigmatized identities have higher rates of anxiety, depression, and have a higher rate of suicide (Ikizier, Ramírez-Esparza, & Quinn, 2017).
Depressed Individuals (Click here for more on depressed individuals)
- Medical students and new mothers have a higher rate of depression in Turkey than the general population (Danaci, Dinç, Deveci, Sen, & Içelli, 2002).
Autistic Individuals (Click here for more on autistic individuals)
- Turkish adolescents with autism have a higher rate of suicidality than the general population and significantly higher than that of Turkish adolescents generally (Demirkaya, Tutkunkardas, & Mukaddes, 2016).
Prevention/Treatment (Click here for more on Prevention/Treatment)
- In Turkey, therapy tends to be utilized by women more than men (Erkan et al., 2012).
- In Turkey, depression and low self-esteem are the most consistent predictors of suicidal thoughts in adolescents ages 13-18 (Eskin et al., 2007).
- U.S. based therapeutic approaches have had some success in Turkey, but there are some issues. Click here for more info.