Lead Investigator: Dr Humaira Maheen
Supervisor: Associate Professor Tania King
Suicide remains a critical public health issue in Australia. Australia’s multicultural landscape, where approximately 30% of the population comes from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds, adds complexity to addressing this challenge. Research reveals that CALD groups and new migrants often do not engage with mental health services until they reach a crisis point. Cultural stigma, combined with negative experiences navigating mental health services, leads to poor help-seeking behaviours, as these services often fail to meet the specific needs of CALD communities.
Despite being recognised as a priority for suicide prevention, CALD migrant populations remain critically underrepresented in suicide research. This limits our understanding of the factors contributing to suicidality in these populations. Existing data often fails to capture the specific stressors and challenges faced by CALD individuals, leading to an incomplete understanding of the full extent of the issue. To address this gap, a research project was funded by the National Suicide Prevention Research Fund.
Using an intersectionality framework, the project aimed to determine suicide rates across various migrant groups, examine trends over time, and identify population groups that are disproportionately affected by suicide. In addition, the study sought to investigate critical stressors associated with suicide and assess whether any factors were particularly pertinent to CALD populations. The research drew on data from the National Coroners Information System (NCIS) data and Australian population surveys.
The study estimated that 359 CALD migrants die by suicide each year, accounting for 12% of all suicide deaths in Australia (based on Coroners data 2015-2020). In 2020, the economic cost of these suicides was approximately AUD 2.9 billion. Certain CALD sub-groups are particularly vulnerable, including African women, young Pasifika individuals, and older men and women from Asian and European backgrounds. Suicide rates remained steady between 2006 and 2019 for most groups, with Pasifika migrants consistently experiencing high rates. Additionally, there was a concerning increase in suicide rates among African females during the study period. Men from Pasifika, African, and South American communities exhibit higher levels of suicidal behaviour compared to other ethnic groups. The research also highlighted that CALD migrant men in the construction industry are twice as likely to die by suicide as those in other sectors. Key stressors associated with suicide deaths among CALD populations include acculturation challenges, employment-related issues, health-related stressors, intimate partner violence, and relationship problems. Many individuals who died by suicide had previously expressed suicidal thoughts or engaged in self-harm, emphasising the need for increased community awareness and early intervention strategies.
The findings from this project calls for an urgent need for culturally appropriate suicide prevention strategies that cater to the specific needs of CALD populations. A key recommendation is to co-design suicide prevention programs in partnership with CALD communities to ensure these interventions are relevant and effective. These programs should prioritise destigmatising mental health issues, enhancing the sensitivity of mental health services in handling disclosures, and providing clear, accessible pathways to care. Workplace settings, particularly industries like construction, are crucial for implementing these targeted interventions. Early intervention and the promotion of help-seeking behaviours through culturally tailored, visible, and accessible services are essential components of a successful suicide prevention strategy for CALD workers, especially those in precarious employment.
In addition to tailored interventions, the research highlights the importance of improving national suicide data collection to capture the diverse experiences of CALD communities. Current data lacks sufficient detail on ethnicity, migration status, and cultural background, which hampers efforts to develop evidence-based policies and targeted interventions. Ensuring that data accurately represents the experiences of CALD groups is crucial for informing future suicide prevention strategies.
List of publications
- Maheen H., King T., (2024). Inclusivity in Australian Population Surveys: Missed opportunities to understand the health experiences of Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Populations. Medical Journal of Australia. (Accepted).
- King T, Alfonzo LF, Montagne A.D., Maheen H. (2024). Variations in suicide rates among Australian male construction workers by country of birth: an undesirable acculturation effect? The Lancet Regional Health – Western Pacific. Vol 49. https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanwpc/article/PIIS2666-6065(24)00149-4/fulltext
- Maheen H., Haregu T., Armstrong G. (2024).Suicidal Behaviour of Australian Males, From an Ethnicity Perspective. Archives of Suicide Research. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13811118.2024.2342912?src=
- Maheen, H., & Doran, C. (2024). Economic cost of suicide among Culturally and Linguistically Diverse populations in Australia. medRxiv, 2024-07. (pre-print) https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.07.18.24310624v1
- Maheen, H., King, T. (2023). Suicide in first-generation Australian migrants, 2006-2019: A retrospective mortality study. Lancet Regional Health – Western Pacific. Vol 39. https://www.thelancet.com/pdfs/journals/lanwpc/PIIS2666-6065(23)00163-3.pdf
- Maheen, H., King, T. (2023). Employment-related mental health outcomes among Australian migrants – A 19 year longitudinal study. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10619185/
- Maheen (2024). https://www.sbs.com.au/language/urdu/ur/podcast-episode/suicidal-prevention-services-dr-humaira-maheen/vrh9e7rmz
