Suicide among immigrant population in Norway: a national register-based study

To investigate differences in suicide risk among immigrant population in Norway compared with native Norwegians, with respect to associated country group of origin.

Based on the entire national population, a nested case-control design was adopted using Norwegian national longitudinal registers to obtain 23 073 suicide cases having occurred in 1969-2012 and 373 178 controls. Odds ratios (ORs) for suicide were estimated using conditional logistic regression analysis adjusting for socio-economic factors.

Compared with native Norwegians, suicide risk was significantly lower in first- and second-generation immigrants but higher in Norwegian-born with one foreign-born parent and foreign-born individuals with at least one Norwegian-born parent. When stratifying data by country group of origin, first-generation immigrants had lower ORs in most of the strata. Subjects born in Asia and in Central and South America with at least one Norwegian-born parent had a significantly higher risk of suicide. The observed results remained mostly unchanged in the analyses controlled for socio-economic status.

Suicide risk is lower in first- and second-generation immigrants but higher in subjects born in Norway with one foreign-born parent and those born abroad with at least one Norwegian-born parent, with notable differences by country group of origin.