Attitudes Toward Suicide Among Chinese People in Hong Kong

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570 Attitudes Toward Suicide in Hong Kong TABLE 2 Continued Overall (36.1% of variance, alpha = 0.852) Loadings Factor 6 (Support: Support toward suicidal people) 3.3% of variance, alpha = 0.604 69. Most people are willing to offer psychological support to friends who want to attempt or commit suicide. 70. Most people are willing to offer material support to friends who want to attempt or 0.579 commit suicide. 0.576 64. Most people care about those who had suicidal attempts. 0.558 51. People can solve problems that may lead to suicide through personal effort. 28. The suicide should have been able to change the psychological and personality factors 0.405 that led to suicide. 0.399 66. Strengthening mental health services can reduce suicide. 0.365 Factor 7 (Contagiousness: Contagiousness of suicide) 3.2% of variance, alpha = 0.511 56. Suicide by celebrities leads to imitation by members of the general public. 0.605 67. The media coverage of suicide news causes more people to attempt or complete suicide. 0.597 71. Group suicide is becoming more common in Hong Kong. 3. Suicide leads to huge economic loss to society.0.441 0.515 Factor 8 (Sympathy: Sympathy towards suicide) 2.7% of variance, alpha = 0.334 43. Suicide is not self-sought. 0.471 22. Most people are sympathetic toward the person who had suicidal acts. 0.470 63. Suicide is not under voluntary control. 0.412 Factor 9 (Function: Function of suicide) 2.4% of variance, alpha = 0.308 54. Sometimes a person may commit suicide for the welfare of another person. 40. People with interpersonal problems attempt or commit suicide primarily for the pur- 0.460 pose of making threats or retaliating against others. 0.498 26. A person has the right to euthanasia as long as he/she chooses it. 0.352 Note. 16 items that did not load on any factors were not listed. *Scored in reverse direction. tudes toward suicide among different socio- tudes toward suicide to a manageable number demographic groups of Chinese people in of perspectives, our respondents, like subjects Hong Kong. These findings are congruous in our focus groups, still exhibited several atwith Chinese historical sources that suggest titudinal dimensions that could be intrinsi- that there is no master theory that adequately cally contradictory. Thus, while four factors explains how Chinese people perceive sui- pertained to social and interpersonal aspects cide. Rather, suicide might be endorsed and/ of suicide (suicidal spectrum, social change, or condemned by particular individuals un- contagiousness, and sympathy), the remainder a variety of life situations. On the one ing five (negative appraisal, stigma, fatalism, hand, suicide can be a means of avoiding un- support, and function) were about whether bearable situations as well as a partially sanc- suicide was right or wrong, or should be met tioned strategy for dealing with a variety of with sympathy or disapproval. These mani- social, political, economic, and moral adver- festly dissimilar perspectives attest to the sities. On the other hand, suicide was to be moral complexity of suicide and cast doubt avoided and the dead person was in some on sweeping statements about whether Chi- texts not to be mourned for (Hsieh & Spence, nese culture is for or against suicide (Lin, 1981; Lee & Kleinman, 2005; Lin, 1990; 1990). Wolf, 1975). Elderly suicide is one example of Chi- Although factor analysis reduces atti- nese people’s attitudinal complexity toward 496
Lee et al. 571 TABLE 3 Variation of Factor Score (1: greatly agree—5: greatly disagree) Across Sociodemographic Characteristics Factors Negative Suicidal Fatal- Social Sup- Conta- Sym- Funcappraisal Stigma spectrum ism change port giousness pathy tion Gender Male 2.96 2.62 3.02 2.93 3.25 3.24 2.95 2.81 3.05 Female 2.91 2.58 2.91 2.89 3.24 3.25 2.97 2.77 2.95 t(1) 2.56* 1.93 4.33* 1.77 0.24 0.21 0.74 1.98* 4.67* Age (years) 15–25 2.90 2.60 2.96 2.82 3.26 3.27 2.96 2.79 3.00 26–50 2.95 2.61 2.94 2.96 3.24 3.26 2.97 2.79 3.02 51–75 3.00 2.62 3.04 3.01 3.23 3.33 2.95 2.82 3.00 F(2) 8.77* 0.37 4.16* 25.67* 0.88 2.55 0.22 0.72 0.41 Marital Status Single 2.91 2.60 2.96 2.86 3.26 3.25 2.97 2.79 3.01 Married 2.97 2.61 2.99 2.97 3.22 3.30 2.95 2.80 3.00 t(1) 3.56* 0.64 1.11 5.05* 1.92 2.27* 0.59 0.54 0.80 Education Primary or below 2.99 2.66 3.01 3.03 3.19 3.31 3.02 2.81 2.98 Middle School 2.97 2.62 2.99 2.96 3.22 3.26 2.93 2.84 3.02 High School 2.95 2.58 2.97 2.95 3.25 3.25 2.93 2.78 3.03 Tertiary or above 2.89 2.59 2.96 2.83 3.27 3.28 2.97 2.78 3.00 F(3) 6.28* 2.02 0.65 17.59* 2.88* 1.20 2.25 1.34 0.77 Religion Christianity 2.94 2.61 2.97 2.86 3.28 3.30 3.03 2.80 3.00 Buddhism or Taois 2.99 2.61 2.98 3.01 3.23 3.31 2.99 2.84 3.02 Others 2.99 2.62 3.10 2.88 3.17 3.34 2.97 2.68 3.05 None 2.92 2.60 2.97 2.90 3.24 3.26 2.93 2.79 3.00 F(3) 3.56* 0.11 0.32 6.09* 0.82 1.50 3.17* 1.36 0.23 Employment Working 2.97 2.61 2.99 2.96 3.24 3.30 2.96 2.80 3.01 Unemployed 2.89 2.71 2.86 2.99 3.19 3.05 3.00 2.81 3.01 Students 2.89 2.59 2.87 2.81 3.26 3.27 2.97 2.79 3.00 F(2) 9.01* 1.86 1.78 22.19* 0.83 9.32* 0.15 0.07 0.34 Occupation Professional 2.94 2.60 3.04 2.88 3.34 3.34 3.03 2.77 3.08 Administrative 2.97 2.58 3.03 2.96 3.29 3.28 2.93 2.79 3.03 Skilled 2.95 2.62 2.86 2.99 3.22 3.30 3.06 2.77 2.98 Nonskilled 2.92 2.93 2.95 2.88 3.20 3.27 2.92 2.79 2.99 F(3) 1.44 0.28 4.92* 4.20* 6.78* 1.29 5.91* 0.13 3.00* Personal monthly income Less than US$641 2.91 2.61 2.97 2.85 3.25 3.25 2.96 2.80 3.01 US$641–US$1,282 2.97 2.60 2.97 2.98 3.22 3.31 2.93 2.79 2.98 US$1,283 or above 2.94 2.89 2.99 2.92 3.27 3.28 2.99 2.78 3.04 F(2) 5.10* 0.41 0.21 13.98* 1.67 2.79 1.26 0.25 1.94 *p < 0.05 497
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