‘Giving a voice to the unheard’? Is female youth (15–24 years) suicide linked to restricted access to family planning? Comparing two Catholic continents

Abstract

Suicide is a neglected area of social work research and suicides are often influenced by cultural factors. WHO data on female youth (15–24 years) suicide, and Undetermined Deaths (UnD), the most likely source of under-reported suicides, are analysed from two continents sharing religio-cultural views on suicide and family planning, that is, Western European Catholic countries (WECC) and Latin American countries (LatAC). It was found that LatAC female youth suicides and UnD were significantly higher than WECC, and correlated with higher birth rates and poverty. This may indicate that restricted access to family planning contributes to more births, poverty, unwanted pregnancies and suicides.