The use of verbal autopsies to analyze some suicides of male parents

Abstract

Some methodological possibilities of using verbal autopsy —also named psychological or psychosocial— are explored in this work. In order to reconstruct the context in which some men died by suicide, because of causes potentially associated with their reproductive experiences. Reflects on what those experiences might be, according to socially learned references within gender socialization. The working hypothesis is that some deaths are associated with causes not traditionally included in death certificates. Such deaths are not restricted to physiological processes, as has been privileged to define maternal mortality from pregnancy, delivery and postpartum environment, but regarding to gender attributes. The analysis suggested might be developed if available information is gathered, from verbal autopsies approach. Some cases identified by way of example, and from indirect information, are discussed. The text concludes with some proposals for research on the subject.