Citation

Bourke L. Soc. Sci. Med. 2003; 57(12): 2355-2365.

Affiliation

School of Rural Health, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, University of Melbourne, Shepparton, VIC 3632, Australia. bourke@unimelb.edu.au

Copyright

(Copyright © 2003, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

14572842

Abstract

Australia has one of the highest rates of youth suicide in the western world, especially among rural men. This paper discusses the social construction of this issue in Australia and explores the issue through interviews with 30 young people and 12 key informants from a rural town in NSW. Findings suggest that young people struggle to deal with conflict in social relationships, that community discourses shape young people's understandings and that suicide is talked about in reference to depression. Implications for youth suicide prevention in Australian rural communities are discussed.

Language: en