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This study aimed to explore beliefs about suicide and understandings related to suicidality among women living in rural Bihar.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Method<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Using a qualitative narrative inquiry approach, four Focus Group Discussions were conducted across four villages in Bihar, India, where deaths by suicide among women had occurred during the previous two years. A total of 39 women aged 18\u201347 years participated who were purposively recruited from these communities. Six women (15.4%) reported a personal history of suicidal ideation. All participants had been exposed to suicide among women in their family or community, with 16 (41.0%) reporting exposure within their family and 23 (59.0%) reporting exposure within their village. Data were analysed using Riessman\u2019s narrative framework.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Findings<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Participants described suicide among women as a response to persistent perceived violations of women\u2019s human rights within family and community settings. Narratives highlighted restrictions on personal autonomy and decision-making, emotional and physical abuse, marital and reproductive pressures, economic dependence, and the stigma and exclusion faced by widows. Women were often expected to endure suffering in silence, with limited opportunities to seek support or challenge their circumstances. Within these contexts, participants frequently interpreted suicidality as both an escape from intolerable distress and a form of protest against conditions that denied women agency, dignity, and recognition.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Suicidality among rural women in Bihar cannot be understood solely as an outcome of individual psychopathology. Rather, participants portrayed suicide as a culturally shaped response to enduring familial, social, and gender-based oppression. These findings suggest the need for community-based mental health support, gender-transformative interventions, and policy reforms that protect women\u2019s rights, strengthen their social and economic resources, and expand opportunities for autonomy, safety, and well-being.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1186\/s12905-026-04676-9","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,14]],"date-time":"2026-09-14T09:14:03Z","timestamp":1789377243000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/springer_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Indian rural women\u2019s suicide beliefs and experiences: female suicidality as escape from and protest against a life usurped of agency"],"prefix":"10.1186","volume":"26","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3067-8974","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Debasruti","family":"Ghosh","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8297-2054","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Sunil K.","family":"Verma","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4987-0309","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Moneerah Mohammad","family":"ALmerab","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1728-8966","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Mohammed A.","family":"Mamun","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8872-0568","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Satchit Prasun","family":"Mandal","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0005-3530-2046","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Saswati","family":"Bhattacharya","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5339-8479","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Saurabh","family":"Raj","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"297","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,14]]},"reference":[{"key":"4676_CR1","unstructured":"World Health Organization. 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The Ramdayalu Singh College research committee, Muzaffarpur, Bihar, gave its approval for the study (RDSPSY\/21-2024). All participants provided verbal and\/or written informed consent, as approved by the review board. The study adhered to ethical standards and all procedures involving human participants were performed with respect for their rights and well-being.","order":1,"name":"Ethics","label":"Ethics approval and consent to participate","group":{"name":"EthicsHeading","label":"Declarations"}},{"value":"The authors declare no competing interests.","order":2,"name":"Ethics","label":"Competing interests","group":{"name":"EthicsHeading","label":"Declarations"}}],"article-number":"466"}}