Attitudes Towards Suicide Research Articles

Attitudes towards suicide among Kurdish people in Iran

Attitudes towards suicide represent a key stage in the pathway leading to suicide. A deeper understanding of the social, psychological and treatment-related factors influencing the development of attitudes towards suicide could guide suicide prevention strategies especially in a neglected population like Kurds. In a cross-sectional study in Iranian Kurdistan, 1,000 households participated in the investigation from April to May 2006 selected by a cluster random sampling process. A questionnaire on attitudes towards suicide (ATTS) was used to measure suicide related attitudes and thoughts. Suicide related experiences were more often reported from the wider social network (relative, friends, acquaintances) than from family members. There is a significant accumulation of suicide related experiences when a related event was reported in the close family. The level of suicide related attitudes is related to age, gender, marital status, level of education and employment status. Openness towards the topic of suicide as well as abilities to communicate about it should be improved by educating the public and additionally be promoted by changing conservative value systems.

Suicidal expressions among young people in Nicaragua

Suicidal behaviour is a major public health problem among adolescents. In Nicaragua as well as in most other countries, young people aged 15-24 have the highest rate of attempted suicide according to hospital records. The aims of this study were to investigate self-reported life-weariness, death wishes, suicidal ideation, suicidal plans and suicide attempts (i.e. suicidal expressions) among young men and women in the community and to identify factors associated with suicidal expressions. The sample was derived from an established study base in the city of León, Nicaragua. From 352 randomly selected subjects aged 15-24 years, 278 individuals (145 males and 133 females) were interviewed using the Attitudes Towards Suicide (ATTS) questionnaire, including questions on suicidal expressions. The overall 1-year prevalence of any suicidal expression was 44.8% among males and 47.4% among females. A suicide attempt in the past year was reported by 2.1% of males and 1.5% of females. There was no significant gender difference in reporting of the separate types of suicidal expressions, except for death wishes, where females reported higher prevalence (33.8% vs. 20.7%). Exposure to suicidal expressions among significant others was significantly associated with own serious suicidal expressions. The study failed to identify any association between suicidal expressions and sociodemographic factors such as poverty or educational level. The present study highlights that suicidal behaviour is a significant public health problem among young people in Nicaragua. The finding that suicidal behaviour among significant others appears to have a contagious effect on adolescents, needs to be addressed in the prevention of suicidal behaviour.

Development of a questionnaire on attitudes towards suicide (ATTS) and its application in a Swedish population.

An instrument measuring attitudes toward suicide was developed through two postal questionnaire surveys, 1986 and 1996, approaching general population samples of 700 and 1,000 persons, respectively, and with response rates of 75% and 64%. A 10-factor model was obtained and comparisons between waves revealed an overall more permissive and pro-preventional attitude in 1996. The results implied complex relationships at the aggregated level between attitudes and suicidal behavior, depending on type of suicidal behavior, attitude factor, and subgroup. At the individual level, persons answering affirmative on own suicidal behavior, as compared to the nonsuicidal group, held a more permissive and understanding attitude toward suicide.