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Abstract
Background: There is substantial variability, by culture, in suicide rates, and also in suicide beliefs and attitudes. Suicide beliefs and attitudes predict actual suicidality. They also are elements of cultural scripts of suicide. Most suicide-scripts research has been conducted in Anglophone countries. Aims: This study investigates women's and men's suicide scripts in Italy. Methods: Italy's suicide scripts, including beliefs about what causes suicide, were explored via analyses of newspaper stories (N = 923) of women's and men's suicides. Results: Italian newspapers mostly featured men's suicide stories, consistent with Italian men's higher suicide mortality. Women's suicide was narrated as an unexpected act signaling personal (e.g., emotional and private-relationship) problems. By contrast, men's suicide was framed as relatively understandable response to serious public-life/social adversities (e.g., an economic downturn), and as a death of legitimate despair. Limitations: Social media suicide stories were not included in this study. Conclusion: In Italy, as in several countries with higher male suicide mortality, female suicide is psychologized and considered irrational while male suicide is viewed as a symptom of serious public-life/social problems, and therefore as deserving respect and empathy. The preference for social explanations of male suicide, together with the empathic attitudes, may contribute to male suicide being relatively more permissible and less stigmatized, and therefore also to men's higher suicide mortality.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Lorenza Entilli
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padua, Italy
| | - Ilaria Cerbo
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padua, Italy
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2
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Richardson C, Robb KA, McManus S, O'Connor RC. Psychosocial factors that distinguish between men and women who have suicidal thoughts and attempt suicide: findings from a national probability sample of adults. Psychol Med 2023; 53:3133-3141. [PMID: 35012702 PMCID: PMC10235670 DOI: 10.1017/s0033291721005195] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2021] [Revised: 11/26/2021] [Accepted: 11/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Previous research has highlighted the importance of understanding which psychosocial factors distinguish between those with suicide thoughts compared to those who attempt suicide. This study aims to investigate these distinguishing factors further within an ideation-to-action framework and to explore sex differences in suicide risk. METHODS Participants (n = 7546, aged 16+) were from the cross-sectional Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey (APMS; 2014) of England. Face-to-face and self-completion questionnaires assessed lifetime suicidal ideation, lifetime suicide attempts, demographic characteristics, life experiences, social support, health and mental illness. Multinomial logistic regression examined factors differentiating between those with suicidal ideation only and suicide attempt histories (with or without suicidal ideation) in men and women. RESULTS Overall men were less likely to report suicidal thoughts and attempts, compared to females. More factors differentiated between suicidal thoughts and attempts in women compared to in men; these included hospital admission for mental illness, below degree level qualifications, being single and childhood adversity. In men, factors which significantly differentiated between suicidal thoughts and attempts included self-report of professional diagnosis of mental illness and childhood adversity. Higher levels of social support were associated with being in the suicidal thoughts group v. in the attempts group in men. CONCLUSION This study identified some key differences between men and women in factors associated with suicide attempts compared to suicidal thoughts. The findings support the use of the ideation-to-action framework to investigate sex differences in suicidal behaviour. Future research should examine the extent to which these factors are associated with suicide risk over time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cara Richardson
- Suicidal Behaviour Research Laboratory, Institute of Health & Wellbeing, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - Kathryn A. Robb
- Institute of Health & Wellbeing, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - Sally McManus
- School of Health Sciences, City, University of London, UK
| | - Rory C. O'Connor
- Suicidal Behaviour Research Laboratory, Institute of Health & Wellbeing, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
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Canetto SS. Language, culture, gender, and intersectionalities in suicide theory, research, and prevention: Challenges and changes. Suicide Life Threat Behav 2021; 51:1045-1054. [PMID: 34515352 DOI: 10.1111/sltb.12758] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2020] [Revised: 03/23/2021] [Accepted: 03/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Over the decades suicidology has experienced many challenges and changes. Language, culture, gender, and intersectionalities of experience have been domains of challenge and change. In this article I document my contributions to suicidology's transformation in these domains. These contributions include challenging stigmatizing and biased suicide-language (e.g., expressions like "successful" and "failed" suicide); questioning gender myths of suicidal behaviors (e.g., the myth that women and men are opposites in terms of suicide motives); the gender-paradox-of-suicide idea; and suicide-scripts theory and research. I then describe the evolution of suicide-scripts theory. Suicide-scripts theory builds on evidence that in each culture there are unique situations when suicidal behavior is expected from specific people, using specific methods, and with specific social consequences. The theory posits that these scripts contribute to variations in suicidality across cultures, and within cultures, across sociodemographic groups, intersectionally. Studies using a diversity of methodologies and focusing on a diversity of sociodemographic groups and cultures point to the role of suicide scripts in suicidality. The article concludes with a discussion of the implications, for suicide prevention, of suicide-scripts theory and evidence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silvia Sara Canetto
- Psychology Department, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
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Gender-specific associations of loneliness and suicidal ideation in a representative population sample: Young, lonely men are particularly at risk. J Affect Disord 2021; 294:63-70. [PMID: 34274789 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2021.06.085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2021] [Revised: 06/28/2021] [Accepted: 06/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Loneliness has been related to negative physical and mental health outcomes including suicidal ideation (SI). However, it is not clear whether loneliness is equally important for SI in women and men and in individuals of all age groups. METHODS Participants were a representative population sample (N=2,450) comprising the entire adult age range (18-95 years). Participants filled out established questionnaires (UCLA Three-Item Loneliness Scale, Beck Scale for Suicide Ideation, Patient Health Questionnaire-4). We tested a multiple linear regression model of SI (controlling for income, living alone, and mental distress) with interaction terms (loneliness x gender, loneliness x age, gender x age, loneliness x gender x age). We also investigated women and men separately. RESULTS Women and men did not differ regarding mean levels of SI, but women reported more loneliness. Loneliness was related to SI regardless of participants' gender (β=.410; p<.001). Gender-specific analyses showed that the association of loneliness and SI was especially strong among younger men (loneliness x age within the male sample: β=-.149; p=.014). Living in a shared household was negatively associated with SI in men (β=-.072; p=.019), but not in women. LIMITATIONS The cross-sectional study design does not allow for interpretations regarding the direction of effects. CONCLUSIONS Besides similarities, the study indicated gender-specific potential risk- and protective factors, i.e. age and living together with others. Young men who report loneliness could be at particularly high risk for suicidal ideation. Gender- and age-specific approaches can contribute to a more precise identification of vulnerable groups in the population.
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River J, Flood M. Masculinities, emotions and men's suicide. SOCIOLOGY OF HEALTH & ILLNESS 2021; 43:910-927. [PMID: 33751613 DOI: 10.1111/1467-9566.13257] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2020] [Revised: 02/04/2021] [Accepted: 02/10/2021] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
Men account for approximately 75% of the one million annual suicide deaths worldwide. Emerging research indicates a link between suicide and men's active pursuit of hegemonic masculinity via emotional restriction. However, little is known of the continuum of suicidal men's emotional practice, and particularly how men mobilise emotions to actively pursue or resist hegemonic masculine ideals. This theorised life-history study aimed to explore the emotional lives of 18 Australian men who had attempted suicide. Findings indicate that men in this study experienced a range of emotions. However, during childhood, they learned that expressing emotions such as sadness reduced masculine standing, whereas expressing emotions such as anger through acts of violence could enhance masculine status. Although the gendering of emotions offered participants multiple avenues of action to pursue or contest masculine ideals, they remained vulnerable to suicide. For some men, it became impossible to conceal escalating feelings of distress. For other men, displays of anger and violence resulted in job loss, relationship breakdown or criminal conviction. Many participants indicated that suicide presented a means of ending painful emotions. Paradoxically, suicide could also become an alternative means of demonstrating masculinity, whereby the body became both the vehicle and object of violence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jo River
- Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Michael Flood
- Faculty of Law, School of Justice, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
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Mueller AS, Abrutyn S, Pescosolido B, Diefendorf S. The Social Roots of Suicide: Theorizing How the External Social World Matters to Suicide and Suicide Prevention. Front Psychol 2021; 12:621569. [PMID: 33868089 PMCID: PMC8044307 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.621569] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2020] [Accepted: 02/22/2021] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
The past 20 years have seen dramatic rises in suicide rates in the United States and other countries around the world. These trends have been identified as a public health crisis in urgent need of new solutions and have spurred significant research efforts to improve our understanding of suicide and strategies to prevent it. Unfortunately, despite making significant contributions to the founding of suicidology - through Emile Durkheim's classic Suicide (1897/1951) - sociology's role has been less prominent in contemporary efforts to address these tragic trends, though as we will show, sociological theories offer great promise for advancing our understanding of suicide and improving the efficacy of suicide prevention. Here, we review sociological theory and empirical research on suicide. We begin where all sociologists must: with Durkheim. However, we offer a more comprehensive understanding of Durkheim's insights into suicide than the prior reviews provided by those in other disciplines. In so doing, we reveal the nuance and richness of Durkheim's insights that have been largely lost in modern suicidology, despite being foundational to all sociological theories of suicide - even those that have moved beyond his model. We proceed to discuss broadly acknowledged limitations to Durkheim's theory of suicide and review how more recent theoretical efforts have not only addressed those concerns, but have done so by bringing a larger swatch of sociology's theoretical and empirical toolkit to bare on suicide. Specifically, we review how recent sociological theories of suicide have incorporated insights from social network theories, cultural sociology, sociology of emotions, and sociological social psychology to better theorize how the external social world matters to individual psychological pain and suffering. We conclude by making explicit bridges between sociological and psychological theories of suicide; by noting important limitations in knowledge about suicide - particularly regarding the roles of organizations, inequality, and intersectionality in suicide - that sociology is well situated to help address.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna S. Mueller
- Department of Sociology, Indiana University Bloomington, Bloomington, IN, United States
| | - Seth Abrutyn
- Department of Sociology, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Bernice Pescosolido
- Department of Sociology, Indiana University Bloomington, Bloomington, IN, United States
| | - Sarah Diefendorf
- Department of Political Science, The University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, United States
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Patterns of Signs That Telephone Crisis Support Workers Associate with Suicide Risk in Telephone Crisis Line Callers. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2018; 15:ijerph15020235. [PMID: 29385780 PMCID: PMC5858304 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph15020235] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2017] [Revised: 01/11/2018] [Accepted: 01/22/2018] [Indexed: 12/04/2022]
Abstract
Signs of suicide are commonly used in suicide intervention training to assist the identification of those at imminent risk for suicide. Signs of suicide may be particularly important to telephone crisis-line workers (TCWs), who have little background information to identify the presence of suicidality if the caller is unable or unwilling to express suicidal intent. Although signs of suicide are argued to be only meaningful as a pattern, there is a paucity of research that has examined whether TCWs use patterns of signs to decide whether a caller might be suicidal, and whether these are influenced by caller characteristics such as gender. The current study explored both possibilities. Data were collected using an online self-report survey in a Australian sample of 137 TCWs. Exploratory factor analysis uncovered three patterns of suicide signs that TCWs may use to identify if a caller might be at risk for suicide (mood, hopelessness, and anger), which were qualitatively different for male and female callers. These findings suggest that TCWs may recognise specific patterns of signs to identify suicide risk, which appear to be influenced to some extent by the callers’ inferred gender. Implications for the training of telephone crisis workers and others including mental-health and medical professionals, as well as and future research in suicide prevention are discussed.
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Abrutyn S. What HinduSatican teach us about the sociocultural and social psychological dynamics of suicide. JOURNAL FOR THE THEORY OF SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR 2017. [DOI: 10.1111/jtsb.12145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Seth Abrutyn
- University of British Columbia; Vancouver BC Canada
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Winterrowd E, Canetto SS, Benoit K. Permissive beliefs and attitudes about older adult suicide: a suicide enabling script? Aging Ment Health 2017; 21:173-181. [PMID: 26496424 DOI: 10.1080/13607863.2015.1099609] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES In the United States, suicide rates are highest among European American older adults. This phenomenon calls attention to cultural factors, specifically, the suicide beliefs and attitudes of European Americans. Beliefs and attitudes matter in the vulnerability to suicide. As predicted by cultural scripts of suicide theory, suicide is most likely among individuals and in communities where it is expected and is most acceptable. This study examined beliefs about the precipitants of, and protectors against older adult suicide, as well as suicide attitudes, in a predominantly European American community. DESIGN AND METHODS Two hundred and fifty-five older adults (86% European American) and 281 younger adults (81% European American) indicated what they thought were the most likely older adult suicide precipitants and protectors, and their opinion about older adult suicide, depending on precipitant. RESULTS Health problems were the most endorsed older adult suicide precipitants. Suicide precipitated by health problems was also rated most positively (e.g., rational, courageous). Older adults, persons with more education, and persons who did not identify with a religion expressed the most favorable attitudes about older adult suicide, across suicide precipitants. Men viewed older adult suicide as more admissible, and women, with more sympathy. Perceived suicide protectors included religiosity among older adults, and supportive relationships among younger adults. CONCLUSIONS The belief, in this study's predominantly European American community, that older adult suicide is triggered by health problems, together with favorable attitudes about older adult suicide, suggest an enabling older adult suicide script, with implications for suicide risk and prevention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erin Winterrowd
- a Department of Psychology , University of Wisconsin Oshkosh , Oshkosh , WI , USA
| | - Silvia Sara Canetto
- b Department of Psychology , Colorado State University , Fort Collins , CO , USA
| | - Kathrin Benoit
- c Department of Psychology , Colorado State University , Fort Collins , CO , USA
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River J. Diverse and Dynamic Interactions: A Model of Suicidal Men's Help Seeking as It Relates to Health Services. Am J Mens Health 2016; 12:150-159. [PMID: 27473200 DOI: 10.1177/1557988316661486] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
There is a striking gender difference in suicide rates worldwide, with men accounting for approximately 80% of all suicide deaths. In contradictory public discussions, suicidal men are presented sometimes as victims of "poor" health services and sometimes as irremediable, "poor" help seekers. A more substantive theory of suicidal men's help seeking, which moves beyond homogenizing accounts to examine the complex interplay between help seeking and health services, is now required. Eighteen life history interviews were undertaken with men who had engaged in nonfatal suicide. Interviews were analyzed within a theoretical framework of gender relations. The findings challenge static and uniform notions of suicidal men's help seeking. While a few men actively avoided health services, others actively sought help, and in many cases help-seeking practices were triggered by unsolicited encounters with health services. Responsibility for help-seeking behavior did not rest solely with suicidal men. Men's help-seeking practices could either be facilitated or blocked by the character of the professional support that was available. Men in this study overwhelmingly rejected services that framed emotional distress and suicidal behavior as mental illness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jo River
- 1 The University of Sydney, Camperdown, New South Wales, Australia
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Bettridge BJ, Favreau OE. The Dependency Needs And Perceived Availability And Adequacy Of Relationships In Female Adolescent Suicide Attempters. PSYCHOLOGY OF WOMEN QUARTERLY 2016. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1471-6402.1995.tb00090.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Traditional theories about female adolescent suicide attempters view them as experiencing difficulty in achieving adequate separation-individuation. However, recent work on female adolescence suggests that achieving greater interdependency within relationships rather than increased independence from them is an important goal for nonclinical nonsuicidal female adolescents. We investigated both dependency needs and the perceived availability and adequacy of relationships in 21 female adolescent attempters and 23 nonattempters. Dependency needs did not significantly differentiate suicide attempters from nonattempters. Attempters, however, did report both a smaller social network and fewer intimate relationships than nonattempters, as well as less satisfaction with these relationships. These preliminary results suggest that more research is required to establish whether dependency needs are indeed causally related to the female adolescents' suicide attempts. Future research should also investigate other risk factors such as relational dissatisfaction, familial suicide attempts, and abuse.
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Möller H. Didaktische Überlegungen zur Ausbildung psychodynamischer Psychotherapeutinnen und Psychotherapeuten. FORUM DER PSYCHOANALYSE 2016. [DOI: 10.1007/s00451-016-0223-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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Zarrouq B, Bendaou B, Elkinany S, Rammouz I, Aalouane R, Lyoussi B, Khelafa S, Bout A, Berhili N, Hlal H, Nejjari C, El Rhazi K. Suicidal behaviors among Moroccan school students: prevalence and association with socio-demographic characteristics and psychoactive substances use: a cross-sectional study. BMC Psychiatry 2015; 15:284. [PMID: 26572129 PMCID: PMC4647598 DOI: 10.1186/s12888-015-0680-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2015] [Accepted: 11/09/2015] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Suicidal behavior is a major cause of injury and death worldwide, especially among adolescents and young adults. Few studies have tackled this issue in the Arab world. The present study investigated the prevalence and the risk factors of suicidal behaviors among Moroccan school students. METHODS From April 2012 to November 2013, a cross-sectional study was conducted in the North-Centre region of Morocco among students in public secondary schools selected using stratified cluster random sampling. The data were collected via anonymous self-administered questionnaires. The Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview was used in its Moroccan Colloquial Arabic version to assess suicidality according to the DSM-IV criteria. RESULTS A total of 3020 students (53 % boys) aged 11-23 years (average age = 16 ± 2.1 years) were included in the study. The prevalence of suicide ideation, suicide planning and suicide attempts during the last month were 15.7, 6.3, and 6.5 % respectively. Univariate analyses demonstrated that suicidal behaviors followed different epidemiological patterns. According to the multivariate analyses, the risk factors for all suicidal behaviors among Moroccan school students were the female gender, middle school level, urban locations, low family income, parents' divorce, tobacco consumption and psychoactive substances (alcohol and cannabis) use. CONCLUSIONS The intervention of preventive programs has become an emergency to overcome the issue of suicidality in Morocco. Further researches on adolescents' suicidal behaviors are suggested to update temporal data and assess the effectiveness of potential interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Btissame Zarrouq
- Laboratory of Epidemiology, Clinical Research, and Health Community, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdallah University, Fez, Morocco. .,Laboratory of Physiology-Pharmacology and Environmental Health, Dhar El Mahraz Faculty of Sciences, Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdallah University, Fez, Morocco. .,Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and pharmacy of Fez, Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdillah University, B.P 1893, Route Sidi Harazem, Km 2.2, Fez, Morocco.
| | - B. Bendaou
- Laboratory of Epidemiology, Clinical Research, and Health Community, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdallah University, Fez, Morocco ,Laboratory of Physiology-Pharmacology and Environmental Health, Dhar El Mahraz Faculty of Sciences, Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdallah University, Fez, Morocco
| | - S. Elkinany
- Department of English, Dhar El Mahraz Faculty of literature and human sciences, Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdallah University, Fez, Morocco
| | - I. Rammouz
- Laboratory of Clinical Neurosciences, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdallah University, Fez, Morocco
| | - R. Aalouane
- Laboratory of Clinical Neurosciences, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdallah University, Fez, Morocco
| | - B. Lyoussi
- Laboratory of Physiology-Pharmacology and Environmental Health, Dhar El Mahraz Faculty of Sciences, Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdallah University, Fez, Morocco
| | - S. Khelafa
- Department of Psychiatry, Ibn Al Hassan Hospital, Hassan the 2nd University Hospital Center, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdallah University, Fez, Morocco
| | - A. Bout
- Department of Psychiatry, Ibn Al Hassan Hospital, Hassan the 2nd University Hospital Center, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdallah University, Fez, Morocco
| | - N. Berhili
- Department of Psychiatry, Ibn Al Hassan Hospital, Hassan the 2nd University Hospital Center, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdallah University, Fez, Morocco
| | - H. Hlal
- Department of Psychiatry, Ibn Al Hassan Hospital, Hassan the 2nd University Hospital Center, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdallah University, Fez, Morocco
| | - C. Nejjari
- Laboratory of Epidemiology, Clinical Research, and Health Community, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdallah University, Fez, Morocco
| | - K. El Rhazi
- Laboratory of Epidemiology, Clinical Research, and Health Community, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdallah University, Fez, Morocco
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Meissner B, Bantjes J, Kagee A. I Would Rather Just Go Through With It Than Be Called a Wussy: An Exploration of How a Group of Young South African Men Think and Talk About Suicide. Am J Mens Health 2015; 10:338-48. [PMID: 25631278 DOI: 10.1177/1557988314568183] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Worldwide suicide is a deeply gendered phenomenon. In South Africa, approximately 80% of suicide completers are male. This study aimed to investigate how a group of young South African men understand and think about suicidal behavior. In-depth semistructured interviews and thematic analysis using a grounded theory approach revealed that this group of young South African men had permissive attitudes to suicide and viewed suicide as a morally defensible alternative in specific situations. They spoke of suicide as a goal-directed behavior that provides a means of regaining control, asserting power, communicating, and rendering oneself visible. From this perspective, suicide was understood as a brave act requiring strength and determination. These data have congruence with the Theory of Gender and Health, which proposes that constructions of masculinity may be implicated in the attitudes and beliefs young men in South Africa hold toward suicide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Birte Meissner
- Department of Psychology, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa
| | - Jason Bantjes
- Department of Psychology, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa
| | - Ashraf Kagee
- Department of Psychology, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa
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Milner A, Kõlves K, Kõlves K, Gladman B, De Leo D. Treatment priority for suicide ideation and behaviours at an Australian emergency department. World J Psychiatry 2013; 3:34-40. [PMID: 24175184 PMCID: PMC3782185 DOI: 10.5498/wjp.v3.i2.34] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2013] [Revised: 04/08/2013] [Accepted: 05/17/2013] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
AIM: To investigate the treatment priority given to self-harmers presenting to a hospital emergency department (ED) in Queensland, Australia, over the period 2005-2010.
METHODS: The main outcome measure of this study was the treatment priority given to persons presenting with suicide ideation and communication (SIC) or self-harming behaviour. Treatment priority was measured using the Australasian Triage Scale, which ranks patients from 1 (in need of immediate treatment) to 5 (assessment and treatment to start within 120 min). Ordered logistic regression was used to assess the broad demographic and treatment-related factors associated with more urgent triage categories and to investigate which methods of non-fatal suicidal behaviour (NFSB) were prioritised as most urgent.
RESULTS: Most cases of NFSB were between 15 and 34 years. A larger proportion of persons presenting for SIC were aged 35 to 44 years. Over 50% of male presentations and 38% of female presentations were for SIC. Those cases prioritised as being more urgent had significantly greater odds of being older, presented after an act of self-harm rather than SIC, and had used multiple methods of NFSB. These individuals also had greater odds of being male and having made past presentations for SIC or NFSB. Among males, those presenting after ingestion of drugs had the greatest odds of receiving immediate attention compared to SIC. “Cutters” were considered as the least “urgent” subjects, and had a greatest risk of waiting 60 to 120 min for treatment compared to suicide ideators. Among females, those presenting with chemicals, poisons and gases had the greatest odds of receiving immediate attention compared to SIC. Females who presenting after cutting themselves had lower odds of receiving immediate treatment than those who presented with SIC.
CONCLUSION: ED staff seems to judge the urgency of cases based on demographic factors such as age and gender, as well as method of NFSB.
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Zeyrek EY, Gençöz F, Bergman Y, Lester D. Suicidality, problem-solving skills, attachment style, and hopelessness in Turkish students. DEATH STUDIES 2009; 33:815-827. [PMID: 19798810 DOI: 10.1080/07481180903142407] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
Among 180 Turkish university students, the probability of suicide was strongly predicted by both hopelessness and deficiencies in problem solving. In addition, for women, unhealthy attachment styles (preoccupied and dismissing) also predicted suicidality. The clinical implications of these findings are that psychotherapists should focus on helping suicidal adolescents improve their problem solving skills and decreasing their hopelessness and, for women, assisting them to develop healthier relationship styles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emek Yüce Zeyrek
- Department of Psychology, Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Turkey
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Biong S, Ravndal E. Young men's experiences of living with substance abuse and suicidal behaviour: Between death as an escape from pain and the hope of a life. Int J Qual Stud Health Well-being 2009. [DOI: 10.1080/17482620701547008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
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Abstract
Forty undergraduate students (20 males, 20 females) made judgments about the relationship between an individual's gender and the method of suicide most likely to be chosen by that individual. The perceived relationship between different precipitating events for suicide and the method of suicide were also examined, as were the participants' judgments about the moral justification of suicide in response to different traumatic situations. The results indicated clear and consistent beliefs about the relationship between the gender of the potential suicide victim, the method of suicide likely to be chosen, and whether or not the cause of the suicide was judged harshly or sympathetically. Understanding how the gender of an at-risk individual interacts with an observer's beliefs and moral perspective should help us predict when suicide threats will be taken seriously and what form of intervention will take place.
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Abstract
Recent applications of social capital theories to population health often draw on classic sociological theories for validation of the protective features of social cohesion and social integration. Durkheim's work on suicide has been cited as evidence that modern life disrupts social cohesion and results in a greater risk of morbidity and mortality-including self-destructive behaviors and suicide. We argue that a close reading of Durkheim's evidence supports the opposite conclusion and that the incidence of self-destructive behaviors such as suicide is often greatest among those with high levels of social integration. A reexamination of Durkheim's data on female suicide and suicide in the military suggests that we should be skeptical about recent studies connecting improved population health to social capital.
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Affiliation(s)
- Howard I Kushner
- Rollins School of Public Health, 5th floor, Emory University, 1518 Clifton Rd, NE, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA.
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Farooqi YN. Comparative study of suicide potential among Pakistani and American psychiatric patients. DEATH STUDIES 2004; 28:19-46. [PMID: 14969276 DOI: 10.1080/07481180490249247] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
This study compared suicide potential and suicide attempts in 50 Pakistani and 50 American psychiatric patients all of whom reported a positive history of suicide attempts during the past 1-5 years. It further explored the role of nationality, gender, diagnosis, and marital status in respondents' potential for suicide and suicide attempts. The American sample reported a higher degree of suicide potential on the Firestone Assessment of Self-Destructive Thoughts (FAST), more suicide attempts, and a larger number of suicide precipitants (family conflicts, work pressure, wish for death, loneliness, financial problems, and mental disorders/drug withdrawal) than did the Pakistani sample. For suicide attempts, effects of 3-way interaction for gender, marital status and nationality were found significant. However, these effects were non-significant for respondent's potential for suicide. In addition, the FAST was found to have a significantly high correlation with suicide attempts. Thus, it may be inferred that the FAST can be used as a valuable screening instrument for the identification of patients at risk for suicide in diverse cultural settings. However, more prospective validity studies are needed to enhance our cross-cultural understanding of suicide; identification of psychiatric patients at risk for suicide by the FAST; and for effective treatment and prevention programs for Eastern and Western societies.
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Canetto SS, Lester D. Love and achievement motives in women's and men's suicide notes. THE JOURNAL OF PSYCHOLOGY 2002; 136:573-6. [PMID: 12431040 DOI: 10.1080/00223980209605552] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022] Open
Abstract
It is often assumed that women kill themselves because of love and men because of achievement problems. The authors evaluated the suicide notes of 56 U.S. adult women and men with regard to love and achievement motives. Love themes were significantly more common than achievement themes, independent of sex and age. This suggests that, at least for U.S. adults who leave suicide notes, relationship concerns may be a dominant component of the motivation for suicide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silvia Sara Canetto
- Department of Psychology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins 80523-1876, USA.
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25
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Affiliation(s)
- Silvia Sara Canetto
- Silvia Sara Canetto is associate professor of Psychology at Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Isaac Sakinofsky
- Isaac Sakinofsky is professor of psychiatry and public health sciences at the University of Toronto, and head of the High Risk Consultation Clinic and Suicide Studies Program at the Clarke Institute of Psychiatry, Toronto, Canada
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Knott EC, Range LM. Content analysis of previously suicidal college students' experiences. DEATH STUDIES 1998; 22:171-180. [PMID: 10182425 DOI: 10.1080/074811898201669] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
To ascertain actual helpful and unhelpful remarks received from others, 40 previously suicidal students answered open-ended questions about their experiences and completed the Suicidal Behaviors Questionnaire (SBQ). Respondents were still moderately suicidal on the SBQ, even though their most recent suicidal episode was an average of 3 years earlier. Respondents reported that family, friends, and personal resources were most helpful in keeping them alive. Those who told someone about their suicidal ideas or plans reported helpful remarks ("The situation is not worth dying for") that appeared to be empathic and thoughtful. Those who told no one about their suicidal ideas or plans, speculated helpful remarks that also appeared to be empathic and thoughtful. In contrast, unhelpful remarks (e.g., "You are stupid") appeared to be simplistic and thoughtless. Implications are that those who are suicidal should be careful in choosing person(s) in whom they confide, and training modules that give examples of actual helpful remarks might be useful for students.
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Affiliation(s)
- E C Knott
- Department of Psychology, University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, USA
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