Suicide in Central Asia: Prevalence Rates, Risk and Protective Factors, and Interventions

Background and Purpose:

An estimated 1.5 million people die by suicide each year, increasingly in developing countries. While most research on suicide has been studied in the western countries, the majority of completed suicides occur in Asia. Within Asia, Central Asian area, comprised of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan experience the phenomenon of suicide in large numbers, yet very little research exists on the area of suicide in Central Asia, including the identification of risk and protective factors associated with suicide and effective treatments for prevention and intervention of suicides. However, in order to develop and adapt culturally appropriate and effective treatments in this area, an examination of the current state of the literature is needed. Thus this study addresses this gap in the literature on suicide in Central Asia by investigating the following objectives: 1) identify prevalence data on suicides in the Central Asian region, 2) examine the risk and protective factors for suicide in these countries; and 3) explore available treatments for suicide prevention and intervention.

Methods:

PsycINFO and MEDLINE databases were searched over across 30 years (January 1987 to December 2016) to identify research on suicide in the region of Central Asia. A keyword search was conducted using the following Boolean/phrase terms: Central Asia or Kazakhstan or Kyrgyzstan or Tajikistan or Turkmenistan or Uzbekistan AND suicid* or "self-immolation" or aintihar (the Arabic word for suicide) or samoubiystvo (the Russian word for suicide). The search was limited to peer-review journal articles. The initial search identified 35 eligible studies. A review of these articles by the research team resulted in the exclusion of 14 articles, resulting in the inclusion of 22 articles in the systematic review.

Results:

Research on suicide in this region are underdeveloped and results are mixed. Specifically, findings identify inconsistencies in the reporting and the recording of suicides at the national level across countries in Central Asia, making it difficult to effectively quantify accurate prevalence data for these countries. However, existing research does identify a series of informative risk and protective factors, such as physical and sexual violence for women and girls, lack of psychosocial support for children and families, unmet basic needs and dependence on the Russian labor market for basic livelihood, dependence on illicit drug production and trafficking, and a defunct mental health care system that may inform the adaptation and development of future treatment interventions.

Conclusions and Implications: Suicide rates in Central Asia are higher than in developed countries, yet interventions to address this phenomenon remain absent. Despite limited research, core risk and protective factors have emerged that can facilitate the adaptation and translation of evidence-based suicide interventions in this area. This abstract will present a series of practice, policy and research findings designed to guide and promote initial steps for effective intervention.