Differences in suicide risk correlates and history of suicide ideation and attempts as a function of disability type.

Abstract

Disability status is associated with correlates of suicide risk (perceived burdensomeness, thwarted belongingness, negative future disposition, felt stigma, suicidal ideation, and suicide attempts). This study aimed to examine whether suicide-related correlates differ significantly as a function of disability type. Individuals with mobility and vision disabilities (N = 102) completed semistructured interviews and online-based questionnaires. Analysis of variance/analysis of covaiance and Fisher's exact tests were conducted to examine whether mean levels of suicide-related correlates differed significantly between individuals with blindness/low vision (n = 63) versus mobility-related (n = 39) disabilities. No significant between-group differences were observed for most outcomes; however, individuals with vision disabilities reported higher mean levels of felt stigma and positive future disposition than those with mobility-related disabilities. The limited representation of disabilities among participants precludes generalization to individuals with other forms of disability and the cross-sectional design prevents inference about causality. Interventions targeting cognitive processes that underlie suicide risk may be applicable to people with mobility and vision disabilities.