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Cited by 10Suicide and Self-Harm StudiesSubstance Abuse Treatment and OutcomesForensic Toxicology and Drug Analysis

Kava drinking associated with suicidal behaviour among young Kanaks using kava in New Caledonia.

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Vignier, Nicolas, Lert, France, Salomon, Christine, Hamelin, Christine·2011·Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health
DOI 10.1111/j.1753-6405.2011.00737.x
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Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To examine associations between recreational use of kava and indicators of suicidal behaviour among youth in New Caledonia. METHODS: This cross-sectional community-based survey was administered to 1,400 young people aged 16-25 years. A multivariate analysis tested for associations between lifetime kava use and lifetime suicidal ideation and attempts. Because ethnicity affected the correlation between kava use and suicidal behaviour, data were analysed separately for Kanak youth and youth of other ethnic communities. RESULTS: Overall, 42% of respondents reported any lifetime kava use, 34% reported past suicidal ideation and 12% any suicide attempts. Among Kanak youth, kava use increased the likelihood of reporting both suicidal ideation (aOR = 2.40, 95% CI: 1.58-3.66) and suicide attempts (aOR = 1.98, 95% CI: 1.11-3.52). No such association was found in the non-Kanak group. CONCLUSIONS: The discrepancy between the effects of kava drinking on suicidal behaviour between Kanak youth and youth of other ethnic groups may be related to differences in patterns and quantity of kava use. In view of the paucity of data on the effects of kava on mental health in young people, further investigation is required. IMPLICATIONS: The results call for an increased awareness of the potential adverse health effects of kava consumption in New Caledonia where it has spread in recent times and among communities where previously it was never used.

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  • Studies conducted in New Caledonia reported specific alcohol and drug abuse challenges, as well as high rates of suicide for young Kanak males.

    “Studies conducted in New Caledonia reported specific alcohol and drug abuse challenges, as well as high rates of suicide for young Kanak males [23–25] (Table 1).”

    From Colonial transition as a major mediator of global health transition: lessons from the 2024 New Caledonia crisis (2025) · cites this paper as [25]

    The introduction (page unavailable) reports concern about an apparent increase in suicide rates among young men in New Caledonia, but does not identify those men as Kanak or establish a high rate for Kanak males. The Results and Discussion examine substance use and suicidal behaviour among Kanak youth; the Results report that suicide attempts were more common among girls than boys and did not differ significantly by ethnicity. (LLM, conf=0.84)

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Research works printed but not linked: 6

  1. Naisseline N. Accidents de la route et suicides. Construire les Loyauté. 2006;115:24-5.
  2. Cabalion P, Barguil Y, Duhet D, et al. Kava in modern therapeutic uses: to a better evaluation of the benefit/risk relation. Researches in New Caledonia and in Futuna. In: Proceedings of the 5th European Symposium of Ethnopharmacology; 2003 May 8-10; Valencia, Spain..
  3. Barguil Y. Le kava l'avis du biologiste: un produit psychotrope non réglementé en Nouvelle-Calédonie. Bulletin Medical Calédonien et Polynésien. 2005;43:27.
  4. Barguil Y, Tarbah F, Shaheen A, Duhet D, Choblet E, Daldrup T. Thirteen forensic cases related to kava consumption in New Caledonia (2002-2005). In: Proceedings of the 43rd TIAFT Meeting; 2005; Seoul, Korea.
  5. Hamelin C, Salomon C. Parenté et violences faites aux femmes en Nouvelle- Calédonie. Un éclairage sur l'ethnicité différentiée des violences dans la famille. Espace, Populations et Sociétés. 2004;2:307-23.
  6. Hamelin C, Salomon C, Goldberg P, Sitta R, Cyr D, Goldberg M. Consommation d'alcool et violences à l'encontre des femmes en Nouvelle-Calédonie. Les Cahiers de l'IREB. 2005(17):177-86.

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Authors
Vignier, N., Lert, F., Salomon, C., & Hamelin, C.
Affiliations
Inserm (FR)
Corresponding author
Hamelin, Christine
ORCID
Vignier, Nicolas
Venue
Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2011-10
Volume
35
Issue
5
Pages
427-433
ISSN
1326-0200 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1111/j.1753-6405.2011.00737.x
OpenAlex
W2031492658
Cited by
10
References
34
Citations by year
2025: 2 · 2022: 2 · 2021: 2 · 2016: 2 · 2014: 1 · 2013: 1
FWCI
0.69
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
  • Styrelsen för Internationellt Utvecklingssamarbete
  • Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale
  • Agence Nationale de Recherches sur le Sida et les Hépatites Virales
  • CHIST-ERA
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Suicide and Self-Harm Studies
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Substance Abuse Treatment and Outcomes
  • Life Sciences › Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics › Toxicology › Forensic Toxicology and Drug Analysis
Keywords
kava, suicidal ideation, suicide attempts, youth mental health, Kanak people, ethnic differences, recreational drug use, New Caledonia
MeSH terms
Adolescent, Adult, Mental Disorders, Cross-Sectional Studies, Drinking, Female, Humans, Interviews as Topic, Male, New Caledonia, Surveys and Questionnaires, Risk Factors, Suicide, Prevalence, Multivariate Analysis, Kava, Young Adult, Suicidal Ideation

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