A family ethnographic apporach to explore the causes of suicide among married women of 20-40 years in Chitral, Khyberpakhtunkhawa (KPK), Pakistan

There is a scarcity of information about the in-depth understanding of suicide phenomena among married women in the developed as well as developing courtiers, especially in the context of Chitra KPK,Pakistan. The objective of this study was to discover the factors that contribute to the suicide among married women in Chitral, through exploring the experiences of 24 immediate family members of six women who had committed suicide during the last one year. A qualitative design, using the family ethnographic approach was employed. The data was collected between April - July, 2016, largely through semi structured in depth interviews and observation in the homes of participants. In addition, where discrepancy exist a review of relevant organizational documents related to the study was undertaken. To identify the patterns of contributing factors for suicide among married women, data was thematically analyzed. The perceptions and experiences of the participants revealed that poverty and domestic violence were the key themes for committing suicide among married women. By using Heise (1998) ecological model, the study findings were placed at different levels as categories; individual, family/relationship, community, and society. These categories were further classified into subcategories as; education level, psychological and physical (depression) health, lack of parental support, spousal relationship, lack of supportive structure, sociocultural values /gender norms, high expectations from women, and lack of supportive legislation that led to domestic violence and then suicide among women in Chitral. The findings of this study will offer guidelines for planning structured interventional research, poverty alleviation and suicide prevention programs. Moreover, the study findings will be useful to develop structured social and legal support system at individual, community and societal level