Abstract
Feeling ashamed for seeking help when distressed is known to be a critical factor promoting suicidal behaviors. The objective of this study was to examine the relationship between suicidal ideation and psychosocial factors, including worries or anxieties, having a person to confide in, feeling ashamed for seeking help when distressed, and K6 score. Fourteen out of 77 municipalities from Nagano Prefecture participated in this questionnaire survey. Participants of both sexes over 20 years of age were randomly selected according to age distribution in each municipality. Association between suicidal ideation and sociodemographic and psychosocial factors, including "feeling ashamed for seeking help", were determined by multiple logistic regression analysis. Among a total of 11,100 participants, 7394 (66.6%) returned the questionnaire. 2147 participants responded properly to essential study parameters and were submitted to the final analyses. The adjusted odds ratio of suicidal ideation was 2.09 (95% CI 1.49-2.94) among participants feeling ashamed for seeking help, compared to those not feeling ashamed. Although the rate of "no person to confide in" was 4.4%, participants who responded with "no person to confide in" had significantly increased odds ratio of suicidal ideation compared with those who responded with "having a person to confide in" (OR 1.97, 95% CI 1.12-3.47). Our findings suggest a need for tailored intervention targeting individuals at risk by gatekeepers to encourage individuals at risk to overcome feeling ashamed for seeking help and to cultivate an appropriate person to confide in.
Highlights
An estimated 804,000 deaths by suicide occurred worldwide in 2012, representing an annual global age-standardized suicide rate of 11.4 per 100,000 (15.0 for males, and 8.0 for females) [1]
Worries or anxieties were assessed by a question: did you have worries or anxieties during the past 30 days? Having a person to confide in was assessed by a question: do you have a person whom you confide in when distressed? Feeling ashamed for seeking help was assessed by a question: do you feel ashamed for seeking help when distressed? We classified these chosen responses into three different groups: ‘‘strongly agree and agree a little’’ termed as ‘‘Agree’’, ‘‘strongly disagree and disagree a little’’ termed as ‘‘Disagree’’ and ‘‘neither agree nor disagree’’ termed as ‘‘NAD’’
Suicidal ideation was assessed with the question: have you considered suicide during the past year? We assumed that some respondents might feel uncomfortable responding to the question about suicidal ideation, so that we added the following sentence in our questionnaire: If you feel uncomfortable, you do not need to answer this question
Summary
An estimated 804,000 deaths by suicide occurred worldwide in 2012, representing an annual global age-standardized suicide rate of 11.4 per 100,000 (15.0 for males, and 8.0 for females) [1]. Japan has been ranked as having the fifth highest suicide rate in the world [1]. The crude suicide rate was 21.4 per 100,000 in 2013 [2]. In Nagano Prefecture where we conducted this survey, suicide deaths have numbered 500 per year in recent years, representing a crude suicide rate of 20.1 per 100,000 [3]. The World Health Organization (WHO) has adopted a plan for suicide prevention as an integral part of its mental health plan, with the goal of reducing the suicide rate in countries by 10 % by 2020 [1]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
