Child/Adolescent Abuse and Suicidal Behavior: Are They Sex Related?

The association between childhood and adolescent abuse and suicidal behavior, and the possible contribution of abuse to sex differences in non lethal suicidal behavior, was investigated. Data were extracted from the Israel‐based component of the WHO World Mental Health Survey (Kessler & Utsun, 2008a). Increased risk for ideation, plan, and suicidal attempt were associated with childhood abuse, and increased risk for attempt was associated also with abuse at adolescence. No associations with sex or sex by abuse interactions were observed. The higher frequency of childhood abuse among women could account in part for their higher rates of suicidal attempts as compared to men.     

Variables Affecting Non-financial Employment Commitment

Pour étudier la motivation non financière au travail, on a utilisé la question dite de la loterie: "Continueriez-vous à travailler si vous n'aviez plus besoin de gagner de l'argent?" 89.9% d'un échantillon représentatif d'actifs masculins israéliens ont affirmé qu'ils continueraient à travailler. Des résultats analogues avaient été obtenus en Israël il y a 10 ans. Mais la comparaison des enquetês fait apparaître des différences entre les réponses des plus jeunes et des plus âgés. On a fait appel à l'analyse discriminante pour classer les caractéristiques des travailleurs de l'échantillon qui choisissaient soit de continuer, soit d'arrêter de travailler. A partir d'une liste de variables liées au travail, quatre discriminants significatifs sont apparus: l'origine ethnique, la satisfaction professionnelle, la localisation de la résidence et le niveau culturel.
To evaluate non-financial commitment to work, the so-called "lottery question" was employed—i.e. "Would you continue working if there were no financial reason to carry on?" In a representative sample of men in the Israeli labour force, 89.9% indicated that they would continue working. Similar findings were reported in Israel a decade ago. However, a comparison of the surveys reveals variations between the responses of younger and older respondents. A stepwise discriminant analysis was utilised to classify the characteristics of workers in the present sample who expressed their preference either to continue or stop working. From a list of work-related variables, four significant discriminators emerged: ethnic origin, occupational satisfaction, place of residence, and educational level.     

The Effect of Cancer on Suicide among Elderly Holocaust Survivors

Jewish‐Israelis of European origin with cancer have higher suicide rates relative to their counterparts in the general population. We investigated whether this effect results from the high proportion of Holocaust survivors among them, due to vulnerabilities arising from the earlier traumas they sustained. The study was based on all Jewish‐European persons with cancer, 60 years and over, diagnosed in Israel between 1999 and 2007. The standardized incidence ratios were not significantly different between the exposed and nonexposed groups (men: 0.90, 95% CI 0.60–1.19; women: 0.95, 95% CI 0.55–1.37). Past exposure to maximum adversity did not increase the suicide risk among persons with cancer.