Journal of urban health : bulletin of the New York Academy of Medicine
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Despite urban-rural disparities in suicide rates having been reported in prior studies, there is scant information on the impact of urbanicity on suicide methods. This study investigates violent and nonviolent suicide methods in Taiwan and their association with urbanicity. We use a Taiwanese nationwide mortality database covering the period January 1997 to December 2003. ⋯ Of the total of 17,849 suicide deaths examined, those residing in more urbanized areas tended to commit suicide by violent methods, an association that remains after controlling for the age, gender, marital and employment status of the victims, and the season during which the deaths occurred. We concluded that a significant association is noted between urbanicity and suicide methods. Thus, effective strategies for suicide prevention should also consider urbanicity.
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Children affected by their parents' dual drug use and HIV/AIDS face considerable challenges to their psychosocial development, including parent dysfunction and foster care placement. While HIV/AIDS may increase parents' mobilization of social support, their drug use may restrict who is available to help them, with potential implications to the adjustment of their children with whom they remain in contact. This study sought to identify dually affected children's living situations, and parent and parent's support network factors as correlates of children's externalizing problem behaviors. ⋯ Results indicate that while only a minority of these dually affected children lived with the parent, the parents' physical limitations and embeddedness in drug using support networks, particularly if living with their children, was associated with the children's maladjustment. It is plausible that these factors interfere with parenting, expose the children to conflict or adverse social influences, or obligate children to assume caregiving for their parent. While dually affected children's contact with their parents may have important benefits, results suggest it presents ongoing needs for intervention with the children, their parents, and caregivers.