Recent Suicidal Ideation Research Articles

Comparisons of mental health symptoms, treatment access, and self-harm behaviors in rural adolescents before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the lives of adolescents worldwide, and research on the mental health effects are ongoing. Adolescents living in rural areas of the United States were already known to be at a disadvantage in terms of access to mental health services, as well as elevated rates of mental health concerns and self-harm risk. Research on how these factors may have changed since the pandemic began is needed to better understand which areas saw the biggest impact and where we can best direct resources to assist youth. Data from the current study were taken from a project examining adolescent mental health and self-harm risk. The pandemic disrupted the timeline for the study resulting in data being collected in two separate waves: before (n = 695) and after (n = 206) the pandemic began. Comparisons were made between these two samples on multiple factors including depression, anxiety, emotion dysregulation, alcohol and substance use, experiencing of bullying, overall impairment, mental health services access, and self-harm. Results indicated that adolescents in the pandemic sample were more likely to have seen a counselor and been hospitalized for a mental health reason, and were more likely to have experienced past-year suicide thoughts and plans than adolescents in the pre-pandemic sample. The pandemic sample also showed more depression and anxiety symptoms, greater emotion dysregulation, and greater intensity of recent suicide ideation. Implications for assisting youth through post-pandemic times are discussed.

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) and Non-Suicidal Self-Injury (NSSI): A Community-Based Study

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) is an endocrine condition that has been associated with atypical emotional regulation strategy use as well as elevated levels of depression, anxiety, self-harm and suicidal ideation. Despite the existence of clinical screening guidance for this population, there is still little to no understanding of how non-suicidal self-injury and suicidal ideation and intention manifest in women with PCOS and how this might differ from women without PCOS. Within this cross-sectional investigation, women with and without a diagnosis of PCOS (n = 418) completed validated metrics of emotion dysregulation, rumination and non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI), as well as self-reported indices of previous suicidal ideation and future suicidal intention. Group comparisons indicated that women with, relative to those without, PCOS reported significantly greater metrics across all variables. Moreover, serial mediation analyses were conducted to test the ideation-to-action framework of suicide in women with PCOS, with the positive relationship between a PCOS diagnosis and future suicidal intention being explained through the indirect pathway of increased emotion dysregulation, recent suicidal ideation and NSSI. Our findings call to action the need for international screening for suicide intention and self-harm in women with PCOS.

The effect of a therapeutic smartphone application on suicidal ideation in young adults: Findings from a randomized controlled trial in Australia.

BackgroundSuicidal ideation is a major risk for a suicide attempt in younger people, such that reducing severity of ideation is an important target for suicide prevention. Smartphone applications present a new opportunity for managing ideation in young adults; however, confirmatory evidence for efficacy from randomized trials is lacking. The objective of this study was to assess whether a therapeutic smartphone application (“LifeBuoy”) was superior to an attention-matched control application at reducing the severity of suicidal ideation.Methods and findingsIn this 2-arm parallel, double-blind, randomized controlled trial, 455 young adults from Australia experiencing recent suicidal ideation and aged 18 to 25 years were randomly assigned in a 2:2 ratio to use a smartphone application for 6 weeks in May 2020, with the final follow-up in October 2020. The primary outcome was change in suicidal ideation symptom severity scores from baseline (T0) to postintervention (T1) and 3-month postintervention follow-up (T2), measured using the Suicidal Ideation Attributes Scale (SIDAS). Secondary outcomes were symptom changes in depression (Patient Health Questionnaire-9, PHQ-9), generalized anxiety (Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7, GAD-7), distress (Distress Questionnaire-5, DQ5), and well-being (Short Warwick–Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale, SWEMWBS). This trial was conducted online, using a targeted social media recruitment strategy. The intervention groups were provided with a self-guided smartphone application based on dialectical behavior therapy (DBT; “LifeBuoy”) to improve emotion regulation and distress tolerance. The control group were provided a smartphone application that looked like LifeBuoy (“LifeBuoy-C”), but delivered general (nontherapeutic) information on a range of health and lifestyle topics. Among 228 participants randomized to LifeBuoy, 110 did not complete the final survey; among 227 participants randomized to the control condition, 91 did not complete the final survey. All randomized participants were included in the intent-to-treat analysis for the primary and secondary outcomes. There was a significant time × condition effect for suicidal ideation scores in favor of LifeBuoy at T1 (p < 0.001, d = 0.45) and T2 (p = 0.007, d = 0.34). There were no superior intervention effects for LifeBuoy on any secondary mental health outcomes from baseline to T1 or T2 [p-values: 0.069 to 0.896]. No serious adverse events (suicide attempts requiring medical care) were reported.The main limitations of the study are the lack of sample size calculations supporting the study to be powered to detect changes in secondary outcomes and a high attrition rate at T2, which may lead efficacy to be overestimated.ConclusionsLifeBuoy was associated with superior improvements in suicidal ideation severity, but not secondary mental health outcomes, compared to the control application, LifeBuoy-C. Digital therapeutics may need to be purposefully designed to target a specific health outcome to have efficacy.Trial registrationAustralian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry ACTRN12619001671156

Prevalence of suicidal ideation among adults in Canada: Results of the second Survey on COVID-19 and mental health.

Data from the first round of the nationally representative Survey on COVID-19 and Mental Health (SCMH) revealed that the prevalence of recent suicidal ideation in the fall of 2020 in Canada did not differ significantly from that in the pre-pandemic period in 2019. The objective of the present study was to reassess the prevalence of recent suicidal ideation in the spring of 2021. The prevalence of suicidal ideation among adults in Canada was examined using the 2021 SCMH (conducted between February 1 and May 7, 2021), and it was compared with the prevalence in the 2019 Canadian Community Health Survey. Unadjusted logistic regression analysis was used to assess the differential likelihood of reporting suicidal ideation in population subgroups. Among adults in Canada, the prevalence of suicidal ideation since the pandemic began was 4.2%, which was significantly higher than the pre-pandemic prevalence of 2.7% in 2019. A statistically significant increase in prevalence was observed among females and males, age groups younger than 65, and several other sociodemographic groups, as well as in British Columbia, the Prairie provinces and Ontario. People who were younger than 65 years, were born in Canada, had lower educational attainment, or were never married were significantly more likely to report suicidal ideation than others during the pandemic. As the second year of the pandemic began, the prevalence of recent suicidal ideation in Canada was higher than it had been before the pandemic in 2019. Continuous monitoring of suicide-related outcomes and risks is necessary so that population-level changes can be detected and inform public health action.

Discrimination experienced by sexual minority males in Australia: Associations with suicidal ideation and depressive symptoms

IntroductionDiscrimination has been under-examined as a social determinant of the higher rates of poor mental health experienced by sexual minorities. The objectives of our study were to: 1) assess whether discrimination was independently associated with poor mental health among sexual minority males, and 2) assess the potential mediation role of discrimination in the associations between sexual minority status and poor mental health. MethodsWe used cross-sectional data on 13,230 males aged 18–55 years from the Australian Longitudinal Study on Male Health; bisexual and homosexual males comprised 1.5% and 1.6% of the sample, respectively. We fit Poisson regression and zero-inflated negative binomial regression models to examine suicidality, depressive symptoms and perceived discrimination in the past two years as correlates of suicidality and depressive symptoms. ResultsStatistically significant differences were observed in the prevalence of perceived discrimination by sexual orientation (p < 0.001), with the highest prevalence among bisexual (29.3%) and homosexual (40.4%) males, and the lowest prevalence among heterosexual males (18.6%). After adjusting for confounding, bisexual/homosexual males had higher rates of perceived discrimination (IRR = 1.88, p < 0.001), recent suicidal ideation (IRR = 1.51, p = 0.008), lifetime suicide attempt (IRR = 2.09, p < 0.001) and recent depressive symptoms (IRR = 1.34, p < 0.001) than heterosexual males. Analysis of β-coefficients suggested that discrimination may mediate a small to moderate proportion of the association between sexual minority status and poor mental health. LimitationsUse of cross-sectional data. ConclusionPoor mental health is more common among sexual minority males, and discrimination may be a contributor to these mental health disparities. Reducing discrimination should be considered as part of a strategy to improve the mental wellbeing of sexual minority males.

Associations of Suicide Risk and Community Integration Among Patients With Treatment-Resistant Depression.

IntroductionTreatment-resistant depression (TRD) is one of the primary causes of disability and a major risk for suicide among patients living in the community. However, the suicide risks and care needs for safety among patients with TRD during the community reintegration process appear to be underestimated. This study aimed to investigate the association between community integration and suicide risks among patients with treatment-resistant depression (TRD) with sub-analysis by gender.MethodsPatients diagnosed with major depressive disorder were recruited upon psychiatrists' referral in two general hospitals in northern Taiwan during 2018–2019. The participants who experienced more than two failed treatments of antidepressants with partial remission were defined as TRD. A structured questionnaire was used to collect socio-demographic, suicidality, and psychosocial information.ResultsIn a total of 125 participants, gender difference was identified in certain community integration aspects such as home integration, productivity, and electronic social networking. The male participants appeared to have better involvement in social contact with internet but slightly less video link than women, while women had higher level of home integration in the past month. The participants who performed worse in the social integration and better home-based activity or productivity levels had higher suicide risks including suicide ideation and overall suicide risks.ConclusionsCommunity integration levels of home, social, and productivity were associated with suicidality in terms of overall suicide risk and recent suicide ideation. Facilitation of community integration at home and life arrangements might reduce suicide risks in TRD patients.

Sex and age moderate the trajectory of guilt among children and adolescents with and without recent suicidal ideation

ABSTRACT We aimed to examine whether the trajectories of ecologically derived guilt differ among a transdiagnostic sample of youth with and without recent suicidal ideation and whether sex and age moderated this association. We assessed guilt 3 times a day over a 2-week period via ecological momentary assessment (EMA) technology in 102 children recruited from the community, outpatient, and inpatient settings. The average age of children was 10.95 y.o. (SD = 2.26, range 8–16) and the majority were male (54.9%) and White (76.5%). We found that the real-world guilt during a two-week EMA period was higher among youth with greater suicidal ideation severity in the past six months. Moreover, there was a significant moderating effect of sex and age on this association, such that the association between suicidal ideation severity and guilt was particularly strong among females compared to males and youth who were 10 years old or older. The findings were maintained when we adjusted for the relevant demographic and clinical characteristics, including age, minority status, parental income, EMA response rate, and current internalising symptoms. These preliminary findings highlight the clinical relevance of assessing and targeting feelings of guilt in the day-to-day lives of youth, particularly for females and older youth.

Interpersonal Risk Factors, Sexual and Gender Minority Status, and Suicidal Ideation: Is BDSM Disclosure Protective?

Suicidal ideation is elevated among individuals who engage in BDSM practices and those with sexual and gender minority (SGM) identities. There is limited research on the intersectionality of these identities and how they relate to suicidal ideation, especially within a theoretical framework of suicide risk, such as the interpersonal theory of suicide. Thus, we tested the indirect relation between BDSM disclosure and suicidal ideation through thwarted belongingness and perceived burdensomeness, as well as the moderating role of SGM identity on these indirect associations. Participants were 125 (Mage = 28.27 years; 64% cisgender men) individuals recruited via online BDSM-related forums who endorsed BDSM involvement and recent suicidal ideation. Results indicated significant moderated mediation, such that BDSM disclosure was indirectly negatively related to suicidal ideation through lower thwarted belongingness, but not perceived burdensomeness, among SGM individuals. This was due to the significant relation between BDSM disclosure and thwarted belongingness. There were no significant moderated mediation or indirect effects related to perceived burdensomeness. We also provide supplemental analyses with positive ideation (i.e., positive thoughts toward life) as the criterion variable. In conclusion, BDSM disclosure appears to be protective against suicidal ideation through thwarted belongingness but only for SGM individuals. This work furthers our understanding of the impact of intersecting marginalized identities on suicide risk and resilience. Implications, limitations, and future directions are further discussed.

Inflammation and nitro-oxidative stress in current suicidal attempts and current suicidal ideation: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

A meta-analysis showed a significant association between activated immune-inflammatory and nitro-oxidative (IO&NS) pathways and suicide attempts (SA). There is no data on whether recent suicidal ideation (SI) is accompanied by activated IO&NS pathways and whether there are differences between recent SA and SI. The current study searched PubMed, Google Scholar, and Web of Science, for articles published from inception until May 10, 2021, and systematically reviewed and meta-analysed the association between recent SA/SI (<3 months) and IO&NS biomarkers. We included studies which compared psychiatric patients with and without SA and SI and controls (either healthy controls or patients without SA/SI) and used meta-analysis (random-effect model with restricted maximum-likelihood) to delineate effect sizes with 95% confidence intervals (CI). Our search included 59 studies comprising 4.034 SA/SI cases and 12.377 controls. Patients with SA/SI showed activated IO&NS pathways (SMD: 0.299; CI: 0.200; 0.397) when compared to controls. The immune profiles were more strongly associated with SA than with SI, particularly when compared to healthy controls, as evidenced by activated IO&NS (SMD: 0.796; CI: 0.503; 1.089), immune (SMD: 1.409; CI: 0.637; 1.462), inflammatory (SMD: 1.200; CI: 0.584; 1.816), and neurotoxic (SMD: 0.904; CI: 0.431; 1.378) pathways. The effects sizes of the IO&NS, immune and inflammatory profiles were significantly greater in SA than in SI. In conclusion: activated IO&NS pathways are associated with recent SA and SI, and inflammation, T helper-1 activation, nitro-oxidative stress, lowered neuroprotection, and increased neurotoxicity explain at least in part why psychiatric patients show increased suicidal behaviours, especially SA.

Suicidal ideation in patients with mental illness and concurrent substance use: analyses of national census data in Norway

BackgroundSuicidal ideation may signal potential risk for future suicidal behaviors and death. We examined the prevalence of recent suicidal ideation in patients with mental illness and concurrent substance use and explored the clinical and sociodemographic factors associated with suicidal ideation in this patient subgroup, which represents a particular risk group for adverse psychiatric outcomes.MethodsWe used national cross-sectional census data in Norway collected from 25,525 patients in specialized mental health services. The analytic sample comprised 3,842 patients with concurrent substance use, defined as having a co-morbid substance use disorder or who reported recent regular alcohol use/occasional illicit drug use. Data included suicidal ideation measured in relation to the current treatment episode, sociodemographic characteristics and ICD-10 diagnoses. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were used to examine differential characteristics between patients with and without suicidal ideation.ResultsThe prevalence of suicidal ideation was 25.8%. The suicidal ideation rates were particularly high for those with personality disorders, posttraumatic stress disorder, and depression, and for alcohol and sedatives compared with other substances. Patients with suicidal ideation were characterized by being younger, having single marital status, and having poorly perceived social relationships with family and friends.ConclusionSuicidal ideation in patients with mental illness and concurrent substance use was associated with a number of distinct characteristics. These results might help contribute to an increased focus on a subgroup of individuals at particular risk for suicidality and support suicide prevention efforts in specialized mental health services.

Executive Functioning, Emotion Regulation, and Negative Emotion in Suicidal Older Adults

Deficits in executive functioning, emotion regulation, and negative emotion have all been linked to suicidality. Yet, the complex interactions between these three factors and their relationships to suicidal behavior in older adults remain unclear. Participants (N = 39) were depressed middle and older adult (M = 62.0, SD = 9.41) inpatients with recent suicidal attempt or ideation, without psychotic depression or moderate or greater cognitive impairment (DRS>90). Participants were administered measures of executive functioning (Stroop and COWAT), emotion regulation (ERQ Suppression and Reappraisal; RRS-Brooding; UPPS- Premediation Scale), and negative emotion (PANAS-X), in addition to measures of depression (MADRS) and suicidality (C-SSRS). Results indicated that executive functioning was not significantly related to emotion regulation or negative affect, but measures of emotion regulation were related to negative emotion and frequency of suicidal ideation in bivariate analyses. Lower ERQ reappraisal tended to be associated with negative emotion (ß = -.392, p = .067) in multivariate analyses. Although comparisons were non-significant, effect sizes revealed that those who experienced daily suicidal ideation (C-SSRS) had lower reappraisal and higher brooding scores (Cohen’s d = 1.014 - 1.456), as well as higher executive functioning (Stroop Color-Word trial) and overall cognition (DRS) scores (Cohen’s d = 0.625 – 0.792) than less frequent ideators. Findings suggest that older inpatients with frequent suicidal ideation have poorer emotion regulation but may have more intact cognition and executive functioning than those with less frequent suicidal ideation.

Further evidence on the interplay between benzodiazepine and Z-drug abuse and emotion dysregulation

Background: Long-term benzodiazepine (BDZ)/Z-drug use, which is a risk factor for dependence, is frequent in neuropsychiatric conditions, especially emotional disorders. Also, BDZ/Z-drug misuse is associated with increased emotion dysregulation symptoms. This study aimed to investigate neuropsychiatric distress in patients with BZD/Z-drug use disorder, with particular attention to emotional symptoms. Methods: Forty-two patients hospitalized for BZD/Z-drug use disorder (males/females= 20/22) were enrolled and dichotomized into a high-dose and a low-dose BZD/Z-drug user group. Neuropsychiatric distress was measured using standardized measures. The relationship between symptom profiles and BZD/Z-drug use disorder severity was explored using t-tests and negative binomial regression analyses. Results: Twenty-seven patients (61.9%) presented with one or more psychiatric disorders, mostly an emotional disorder. Ten patients had a lifetime history of suicide attempt(s) (23.8%), while 11 presented recent suicidal ideation (26.2%), which resulted in suicidal behavior in 2 cases. High rates of depression, anxiety, and emotion dysregulation were reported. The high-dose BZD/Z-drug user group presented with higher depressive symptoms (p = 0.016) and emotion dysregulation (p = 0.044) than the low-dose BZD/Z-drug user group. Further, the higher the depressive symptomatology, the more severe was the BZD/Z-drug abuse (p = 0.028). Limitations: Long-term patterns of BDZ/Z-drug use disorder among patients with emotional disorders and the role of other potential risk factors, such as gender, other substance use disorder, and personality disorders, need further investigation in larger samples. Conclusions: This study showed high emotional symptoms among patients with BZD/Z-drug use disorder, with severe depression being associated with a more severe BZD/Z-drug dependence.

Associations Between Privacy-Related Constructs and Depression and Suicide Risk in Health Care Professionals, Trainees, and Students.

The University of California, San Diego screens health care professionals, trainees, and students for depression and suicide risk. Individuals complete a voluntary, anonymous online screening tool and choose whether to provide personal demographic information. This study assessed the relationship between privacy-related constructs and self-rated depression and suicide risk. The authors analyzed responses to the screening tool collected from January 2018 to December 2019. Measures of depression, suicidal ideation and behaviors, and worry about stigma for seeking mental health services (i.e., privacy-related concern) were gathered. The number of demographic item nonresponses (i.e., age, gender, ethnicity/race, professional position) was operationalized as privacy-related behavior. Linear and logistic regression models were used to determine associations between privacy-related constructs (concern and behavior) and depression and suicide measures. A total of 1,224 respondents were included. On average, respondents reported mild depression (mean = 9.12, standard deviation = 5.94), but 43% (524/1,224) reported at least moderate depression. One in 5 respondents (248/1,224) reported worry about stigma for seeking mental health services, and more than 17% (212/1,224) skipped at least 1 demographic question. Privacy-related concern was statistically significantly and positively associated with recent depression and suicidal ideation and behaviors (odds ratios [ORs] = 3.13-7.02; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.23-19.20; P's < .001) and with lifetime suicide attempts (OR = 1.76; 95% CI, 1.08-2.86; P = .02). Privacy-related behavior was statistically significantly and positively associated with suicide action (OR = 2.23; 95% CI, 1.24-4.02; P = .008). Privacy-related constructs may be meaningful correlates of mental health as respondents who endorsed these constructs had increased odds of worse depression and suicidal ideation and behaviors. Considering privacy-related constructs may be useful for identifying health care professionals, trainees, and students experiencing distress and in need of imminent mental health resources.

Perseverative Thinking about Suicide Questionnaire (PTSQ): Validation of a new measure to assess suicide-specific rumination

BackgroundSuicide-specific rumination has been shown to be associated with lifetime suicide attempts as well as suicide intent and might be an important risk factor for the transition from suicidal ideation to suicidal behavior. Based on this background, the wording of the items of an often-used self-report measure assessing core characteristics of rumination was adapted to assess specifically suicide-specific rumination. MethodsThe entire study sample comprised N = 1689 participants from the German healthcare sector. A total of 721 participants with a history of suicidal ideation (68% female; Mage = 30.63, SDage = 8.41, range: 18–81 years) who had completed five measures assessing suicide-specific rumination, suicidal ideation, depression, hopelessness, and resilience were included for the present examination. Factorial validity (Exploratory [EFA] to determine the appropriate number of factors and confirmatory factor analyses [CFA] after randomly splitting of the sample to validate the EFA solution), construct validity, and reliability were evaluated. ResultsThe EFA revealed a one-factor solution consisting of four items, which could be confirmed within a CFA (RMSR = 0.006; RMSEA = 0.039; CFI = 0.999; TLI = 0.998). Internal consistency was excellent with Cronbachs α = 0.93. Construct validity was given with moderate to high positive correlations with suicidal ideation (0.76), depression (0.55), and hopelessness (0.38) and negative correlation with resilience (−0.31). Participants with recent suicidal ideation and/or lifetime suicide attempt reported significantly more suicide-specific rumination than those with only lifetime suicidal ideation. ConclusionA new 4-item measure for suicide-specific rumination was developed and could be shown to be a reliable and valid instrument in a large German sample. Results emphasize the potential importance of suicide-specific rumination for the understanding of trajectories of suicidal ideation and suicide risk assessments.

The Interpersonal-Psychological Theory of Suicide in Medical Students: Comparisons of Individuals without Suicidality, Ideators, and Planners.

The aim of this study was to explore the interpersonal–psychological theory of suicide (IPTS) in medical students. Higher levels of thwarted belongingness and perceived burdensomeness were expected in medical students with suicidality compared with medical students without suicidality, and a high level of acquired capability was expected in planners compared with ideators. Recruited for the study were 178 undergraduate medical students at the Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB): 95 subjects without suicidality, 24 subjects with lifetime suicidality, 28 subjects with recent suicidal ideation, and 26 planners. An ad hoc questionnaire evaluated the risk of suicide as well as the “Suicidal thoughts and wishes” item of the BDI-II. The Interpersonal Needs Questionnaire (INS) measured thwarted belongingness (TB) and perceived burdensomeness (PB). The Acquired Capability for Suicide Scale (ACSS) measured notably fearlessness of death or pain tolerance and depression was rated using the revised version of the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). Cognitive–affective symptoms of depression (CA-BDI) were assessed using six items of the BDI. Analyses of variance showed significant differences between groups for TB and PB but not for ACSS. Analyses of covariance, controlling for the CA-BDI scores, confirmed the significance of differences in TB and PB. Post hoc tests showed that (1) high levels of TB were characteristic of subjects with recent suicidal ideation and planners compared with subjects without suicidality; and (2) high levels of PB were characteristic of planners compared with the three other groups. Among the three characteristics of the IPTS, PB could be a strong predictor of severe suicide risk in medical students.

Suicide ideation in Canada during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Many Canadians report decreased mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic, and concerns have been raised about possible increases in suicide. This study investigates the pandemic's potential impact on adults' suicide ideation. We compared self-reported suicide ideation in 2020 versus 2019 by analyzing data from the Survey on COVID-19 and Mental Health (11 September to 4 December 2020) and the 2019 Canadian Community Health Survey. Logistic regression was conducted to determine which populations were at higher risk of suicide ideation during the pandemic. The percentage of adults reporting suicide ideation since the pandemic began (2.44%) was not significantly different from the percentage reporting suicide ideation in the past 12 months in 2019 (2.73%). Significant differences in the prevalence of recent suicide ideation in 2020 versus 2019 also tended to be absent in the numerous sociodemographic groups we examined. Risk factors of reporting suicide ideation during the pandemic included being under 65 years, Canadian-born or a frontline worker; reporting pandemic-related income/job loss or loneliness/isolation; experiencing a lifetime highly stressful/traumatic event; and having lower household income and educational attainment. Evidence of changes in suicide ideation due to the pandemic were generally not observed in this research. Continued surveillance of suicide and risk/protective factors is needed to inform suicide prevention efforts.

Suicidal ideation among the elderly living in the community: Correlation with living arrangement, subjective memory complaints, and depression

BackgroundThis study aimed to investigate the correlations of living arrangement, subjective memory complaints, and depression on suicidal ideation in elderly men and women. MethodsThere were 1,412 participants (women, 63.5%) from a rural community in South Korea, aged ≥60 years (mean±SD, 73.2 ± 8.0 years). We measured suicidal ideation, subjective memory complaints, and depression using the Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale, Subjective Memory Complaints Questionnaire, and the short form of the Geriatric Depression Scale, respectively. We then estimated correlations of living arrangement, subjective memory complaints, and depression with recent suicidal ideation using multivariate logistic regression analysis. ResultsWith all participants as a group, living alone, subjective memory complaints (SMC+) and high risk of depression (HRD) were found to be significant independent predictors (p = 0.021 for living alone; p = 0.006 for SMC+; p < 0.001 for HRD, respectively) of suicidal ideation (SI+). When men and women were analyzed separately, HRD remained significant both in men and women (OR = 6.01, p < 0.005 for men; OR = 7.23, p < 0.001 for women), while living alone and SMC+ were significant only in men (OR = 3.36, p = 0.013 for living alone; OR = 3.30, p = 0.016 for SMC+). LimitationsThe results may not be generalizable to the urban setting as this study included only elderly persons living in the rural community. ConclusionsLiving alone and subjective memory complaints were significant predictors of recent suicidal ideation only in men while depression was a significant predictor both in men and women.

Identifying Specific Emotion Regulation Deficits that Associate with Nonsuicidal Self-injury and Suicide Ideation in Adolescents.

It is not known how emotion regulation deficits and strategies may differentially relate to nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) and suicide ideation in samples of community-based adolescents. The current study examined emotion regulation using comprehensive multi-method assessment to identify which specific deficits are uniquely related to NSSI and suicide ideation in a sample of high school students. Regarding specific deficits, it was expected that lack of emotional awareness, lack of access to emotion regulation strategies, poor cognitive reappraisal, and poorer automatic emotion processing would uniquely associate with past-year NSSI engagement. It was also predicted that lack of access to strategies, lack of impulse control, lack of awareness, and nonacceptance of emotion would uniquely associate with past-year presence of suicide ideation and suicide ideation severity. The sample included 696 adolescents (54.8% female; ages 14-17; mean age = 15.5) recruited from public high schools. Self-report measures were administered assessing suicide ideation, NSSI engagement, dimensions of emotion regulation, and automatic emotion processing (Emotion Stroop). Emotion suppression was the only unique and significant predictor of past-year NSSI engagement, and lack of access to emotion regulation strategies was the strongest predictor of both past-year presence of suicide ideation and recent suicide ideation severity when accounting for all deficits in the same model. Acquiring emotion regulation skills during the period of adolescence has great potential to buffer from occurrence of NSSI and severity of suicide ideation.

Recent Stressful Life Events and Suicidal Ideation in Schizophrenia: A 1-Year Follow-up Study.

Half of patients with schizophrenia experience suicidal ideation. Only few studies have examined the effects of recent stress on both current and emergent suicidal ideation.A cohort of 85 patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders was assessed. The study was divided into a cross-sectional and longitudinal arms to test the effect of recent stress on suicidal ideation. Analysis was done using logistic regression models.After correcting for covariates, recent stress had no significant effect on current suicidal ideation. However, increased total stress (odds ratio [OR] = 1.099 [1.032-1.170], p = 0.003) and health-related stress (OR = 1.331 [1.074-1.650], p = 0.009) at follow-up were predictive of emergent suicidal ideation.With this sample size, we were unable to draw firm conclusions regarding the effect of specific life events on suicidal ideation. Further studies involving larger samples that investigate the interplay between several risk factors are needed.

Demographic and psychosocial factors associated with recent suicidal ideation and suicide attempts among lesbian, gay, bisexual, pansexual, queer, and asexual (LGBQ) people in Australia: Correlates of suicidality among LGBQ Australians

IntroductionTo examine demographic and psychosocial correlates of suicidal ideation and suicide attempts among a large cross-section of sexual orientation populations in Australia, including lesbian, gay, bisexual, pansexual, queer, and asexual (LGBQ) people. MethodsA national survey was conducted involving 5,174 cisgender LGBQ participants aged 18+ years. Multivariable regressions identified factors associated with recent suicidal ideation and suicide attempts. ResultsIn all, 37.2% reported suicidal ideation and 3.9% a suicide attempt in the past 12 months. The likelihood of suicidal ideation was greater for those who identified as queer or felt treated unfairly or socially excluded due to their sexual orientation, and lower for those in a committed relationship, who felt part of LGBTIQ communities, or felt accepted in family, work, and health services. The likelihood of suicide attempts was greater for those aged younger or had recently experienced verbal abuse or social exclusion, and lower for those in a committed relationship or who felt part of LGBTIQ communities. LimitationsParticipants were recruited largely through paid Facebook advertising and the sample may therefore not be representative of all LGBQ adults in Australia. However, a representative population-level study would require the collection of population demographic data to provide the necessary and sexual identity is not included in the Australian Census. ConclusionThese findings highlight an urgent need for supporting LGBQ people and may help inform tailored support services, including culturally-safe suicide prevention programs. These could involve peer support, trauma-informed counselling, supporting committed relationships, and addressing marginalization in the wider community.