Socio-ecological context and the interpersonal theory of suicide: A response to hjelmeland & knizek

"I Will Die by My Own Hand": Understanding the Development of Suicide Capability in the Narratives of Individuals Who Have Attempted Suicide

Suicide capability is a multidimensional concept that facilitates the movement from suicidal ideation to suicide attempt. The three-step theory of suicide posits that three overarching contributors comprise suicide capability: acquired (fearlessness about death and high pain tolerance), dispositional (genetics), and practical (knowledge and access to lethal means) capability. Although extensive research has investigated relationships between individual contributors of capability and suicide attempts, little research has considered how an individual's capability for suicide develops as a combination of contributors. Given suicide is multifaceted and complex, our understanding of capability development is relatively limited. This potentially negatively impacts prevention and capacity reduction-focused intervention efficacy. Therefore, this study aimed to explore how suicide capability develops. Fourteen community-based suicide attempt survivors were recruited using convenience sampling. Individual narratives were collected using open-ended interviews, and data were analysed using narrative analysis. Results indicated that participant narratives contained two elements. The first included how capability development and suicide attempt facilitation were often underpinned by the relational interplay between acquired and practical contributors. For example, participants without a high pain tolerance seeking attempt methods that were perceived to be painless. The second element contained a novel finding relating to the agentic role of participants when deciding and attempting suicide. Agency was revealed within and across narratives emphasising the active role the individual plays in their movement from ideation-to-action. The role of individual agency in coming to a decision to take one's own life and then acting warrants further consideration within contemporary suicide theories.

Cultural family processes, depressive symptoms, and suicidal ideation: A longitudinal study of Asian American youths

INTRODUCTION

This prospective study examined the direct and interactive effects of depressive symptoms and cultural family processes (i.e., intergenerational cultural conflict, academic parental control, cultural socialization parenting) on Asian American youths' suicidal ideation from adolescence to young adulthood.

METHODS

We utilized three-wave data of 408 Korean American and 378 Filipino American youths (M = 15.00 years, SD = 1.91 at Wave 1). For each ethnicity, we tested (1) whether depressive symptoms and cultural family processes predicted past-year suicidal ideation; and (2) whether cultural family processes moderated the depressive symptom-suicidal ideation link.

RESULTS

Across ethnicities, depressive symptoms significantly predicted suicidal ideation after controlling for cultural family processes. For Filipino youths, intergenerational cultural conflict significantly predicted suicidal ideation after controlling depressive symptoms and exacerbated the depressive symptom-suicidal ideation link. For Filipino youths, depressive symptoms were significantly associated with suicidal ideation only at lower levels of cultural socialization parenting. For Korean youths, academic parental control exacerbated the depressive symptom-suicidal ideation link.

CONCLUSION

Findings suggest that while depressive symptoms have a robust effect on Asian American youths' suicidal ideation, this effect may be moderated by cultural family processes. Different findings for Korean and Filipino youths highlight the importance of disaggregating analyses by ethnicity to guide prevention efforts.

The role of thwarted belongingness and perceived burdensomeness in passive suicide ideation among Latinx and Black youth

INTRODUCTION

The interpersonal theory of suicide (IPTS) is used to evaluate suicide risk. Yet, it has not been sufficiently tested with ethnoracially minoritized youth. This study aimed to test whether thwarted belongingness (TB) and perceived burdensomeness (PB) were associated with passive suicide ideation (SI) among Latinx and Black youth.

METHODS

Data were obtained from a cross-sectional study. Some youth participants were recruited from an ongoing NIMH study of depressed Black youth in schools (N = 20). The rest were participants in a supplemental study of non-depressed Latinx and Black youth in community agencies (N = 61). Multivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine the relationships between passive SI and the IPTS constructs.

RESULTS

Most participants identified as male (63.5%) and Latinx (59.5%), mean age 15.23 (SD = 1.4). Only TB remained significant when adjusting for age and gender, even after adding a measure of depression symptoms as a covariate. Notably, the interaction term (TBXPB) was not significantly associated with increased odds of passive SI in this sample.

CONCLUSION

These findings confirm the importance of examining the IPTS constructs and their relationship to passive SI in diverse populations. The relationship between TB and SI in Latinx and Black youth suggests it may be an important target for suicide prevention.

The Burden of Not Belonging: A Qualitative Study of the Applicability of the Interpersonal Theory of Suicide Constructs of Belongingness and Burdensomeness to Ethnocultural Minoritized Youth

Guided by the Interpersonal Theory of Suicide (IPTS), this study aims to understand the applicability of the constructs of belongingness and burdensomeness and their relevance to suicide risk and mental health among ethnocultural minoritized youth. A qualitative exploratory study was conducted using five focus groups with 29 self-identified Latinx and Black adolescents aged 13-17 years to explore the meaning they ascribed to belongingness and burdensomeness. Views of social media related to these constructs were also explored. Template analysis was used to analyze the data. Themes highlighted dimensions such as caring, self-worth, and liability, congruent with the IPTS dimensions of belongingness and burdensomeness. Notably, new themes emerged reflecting the distinctive experiences of these populations, such as the importance of being true to themselves, the burden of not belonging to families, and cultural aspects of liability, highlighting dimensions not found in the existing IPTS theoretical constructs. Consideration of the diverse experiences of ethnocultural minoritized youth can strengthen theoretical constructs, clinical practice, and aid in developing intervention strategies to increase protective factors and decrease risk factors for suicide behaviors relevant to such youth.

Suicide capability within the ideation-to-action framework: A systematic scoping review

Suicide capability is theorised to facilitate the movement from suicidal ideation to suicide attempt. Three types of contributors are posited to comprise suicide capability: acquired, dispositional, and practical. Despite suicide capability being critical in the movement from ideation-to-attempt, there has been no systematic synthesis of empirical evidence relating to suicide capability that would enable further development and refinement of the concept. This study sought to address this synthesis gap. A scoping review was conducted on suicide capability studies published January 2005 to January 2022. Eleven electronic databases and grey literature sources were searched returning 5,212 potential studies. After exclusion criteria application, 90 studies were included for final analysis. Results synthesis followed a textual narrative approach allocating studies based on contributors of suicide capability. Most studies focused on investigating only one factor within contributors. Painful and provocative events appear to contribute to acquired capability more so than fearlessness about death. Whilst emerging evidence for dispositional and practical contributors is promising, the small number of studies prevents further conclusions from being drawn. An unexpected additional cognitive contributor was identified. The focus of a single factor from most studies and the limited number of studies on contributors other than acquired capability limits the theoretical development and practical application of suicide capability knowledge. Given that suicide is a complex and multifaceted behaviour, future research that incorporates a combination of contributors is more likely to advance our understandings of suicide capability.

Family group conferences for suicidal adolescents: Promising results from naturalistic case study research

Can thwarted belongingness and perceived burdensomeness, risk factors for suicidal adolescents, be turned around by family group conferences? In this case study on Nick, a 17-year-old who undertook six suicide attempts, we (including Nick) share insights and learning opportunities on how family group conferences can be used. The thematic analysis suggests that family group conferences might be a promising intervention for suicidal adolescents. For Nick, the conference was a turning point in his life, correcting perceptions of being a burden, pushing back passiveness, and boosting connection with and support from the broad social network.

Suicide capacity within the ideation-to-action framework: a scoping review protocol

INTRODUCTION

A core facilitator of the transition from suicidal thoughts to suicide attempt is the individual's capacity for suicide. Suicide capacity is a theoretically universal concept adaptable for specific groups that is hypothesised to comprise three contributing factors: acquired capability, for example, previous self-harm; dispositional, such as genetic influences and practical, knowledge of and access to lethal means. Given that suicide capacity as a concept is continuing to develop, a review and synthesis of the current literature is timely to ensure future research and development of suicide prevention strategies are based on evidential knowledge. The aim of this review is to map the available evidence to provide an overview of factors that contribute to an adult's capacity for suicide.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

This review will encompass five stages. Studies will be identified through broad search strings applied to 11 academic databases: Academic Search Ultimate, APA PsycArticles, APA PsycINFO, CINAHL, Psychology & Behavioural Sciences, & Sociology Source Ultimate via EBSCOHost Megafile Ultimate; PubMed; Science Direct; Wiley Online; Taylor & Francis and ProQuest dissertations and theses. Grey literature databases and key suicide organisations will also be searched for relevant literature. Two reviewers will independently screen titles and abstracts then review full texts to identify articles meeting inclusion criteria. Articles will be assessed for eligibility based on suicide attempt history, primary research study design, language and publication date. Data from eligible full texts will be extracted using a predesigned template for analysis. The synthesisation method will be textual narrative synthesis with an incorporated quality appraisal checklist tool.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

Ethics approval is not required for this scoping review as no human participants are involved. Study findings will be shared with key suicide organisations, through peer-reviewed publications, and conference presentations.

Examining the interpersonal theory of suicide in acutely suicidal psychiatric inpatients

The current study examined hypotheses related to the development of suicidal ideation as directed by the interpersonal theory within a sample of acutely suicidal psychiatric inpatients. Consistent with ideation-to-action models, we distinguished suicidal desire from resolved plans and preparations. Although thwarted belongingness and perceived burdensomeness were correlated with suicidal desire, only perceived burdensomeness was associated with suicidal desire controlling for depression and thwarted belongingness. Depression alone was related to plans and preparations. Findings are interpreted as challenging the mechanisms hypothesis of the interpersonal theory and suggest that alternative conceptualizations of the development of suicidal desire may be warranted.

Epistemological differences in the discussion of the interpersonal theory of suicide: A reply to the response

This paper is a reply to Smith and colleagues' response to our critique of the interpersonal theory of suicide (IPTS). They believe that we mischaracterize and misinterpret aspects of the IPTS. Here, we argue that the problem rather seems to be that we are discussing the IPTS from two different epistemological "planets."

The role of theory for understanding and preventing suicide (but not predicting it): A commentary on Hjelmeland and Knizek

Hjelmeland and Knizek suggest that parsimonious theory is inappropriate for explaining a highly complex and contextual phenomenon like suicide. Similar suggestions have been made by others. In this commentary, I counter that the pursuit of parsimonious theory is at the core of any scientific enterprise, including health sciences and suicide science. Using examples from physics and psychology, I illustrate that parsimonious theories have been essential for understanding highly complex and contextual phenomena like the motion of objects and the behavior of people. I further illustrate that these theories, despite their undeniable validity and enormous utility, have limited value for predicting future real-world events; thus, it is important not to conflate valid theory with highly accurate prediction of the future. To conclude, I offer suggestions for better evaluating and advancing suicide theory, and I affirm that the pursuit of parsimonious suicide theory is important and worthwhile, and must continue.