Although cross-national comparisons of suicide data may be notoriously unreliable, the suicide rates of Irish-born people in Britain appear to be greater than those of the Irish in Ireland. This paper provides a review of the literature and examines evidence that migration to Britain heightens the risk of suicide for Irish people. Other studies from North America and Australia appear to confirm that the experience of living abroad for many Irish people is stressful. The reasons for this stress are complicated. In Britain, the relatively unsettled nature of Irish migration and the inability of the Irish to create an authentic identity may play a significant role. Irish cultural attitudes to health and the use of alcohol as an accepted method of coping with stress may also add to the toll.

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male United Kingdom Suicide female priority journal immigrant stress Review cultural factor Australia alcohol consumption human North America Ireland attitude