Archives of Suicide Research最新文献

Objective: Conducting youth suicide research comes with inherent challenges related to topic and age sensitivities. Despite this, there is a paucity of knowledge about how young people experience their research involvement. This study aimed to explore the experiences of young people with lived or living experience of suicide of being involved as collaborators or participants in suicide research.

Method: In this qualitative study, 13 semi-structured interviews were conducted via video software between August 11 and November 19, 2021. Participants included those aged 18-29 years, who had lived or living experiences of suicide, had been involved in suicide research, and were living in United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada. Eight participants had previously been involved in co-production and five as participants. Interviews were transcribed verbatim, and reflexive thematic analysis was used to generate themes.

Results: Three themes were generated: (1) Young people want-but don't always receive-support that is individualized, multi-faceted and actionable; (2) The relationship with the researcher drives the experience; and (3) Using traumatic experiences to create positive and meaningful change.

Conclusion: For young people with lived and living experience of suicide to be safely and effectively involved in suicide research, individual support that is nuanced, dynamic, and tailored is required, regardless of the type of research involvement.

Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) is a significant global public health concern among adolescents. Prior research has confirmed the importance of perceived family invalidation in contributing to NSSI engagement. However, the mechanism underlying this association remains unclear. The current study hypothesized that perceived family invalidation would be associated with NSSI through a serial mediation pathway via shame-proneness and depressive symptoms. A sample of 3,875 Chinese adolescents from 12 to 18 years old (M_age = 14.43, SD = 1.38, 50.8% females) completed self-report questionnaires with outcome variables of perceived family invalidation, shame-proneness, depressive symptoms, and NSSI. Results showed that the prevalence of lifetime NSSI was 13.6%. Perceived family invalidation, shame-proneness, and depressive symptoms were all positively correlated with NSSI. The mean scores of all variables in the NSSI group were significantly higher than the non-NSSI group. The association between perceived family invalidation and NSSI was not directly mediated by shame-proneness. Still, it was mediated by depressive symptoms, while this link was also serially mediated by shame-proneness and depressive symptoms. Findings demonstrate a potential psychopathological mechanism underlying the pathway from perceived family invalidation to NSSI through shame-proneness and depressive symptoms. Furthermore, it provides empirical evidence for future specific intervention and prevention directions for mental health services providers working with adolescents of elevated perceived family invalidation as well as shame-proneness to reduce the risk of NSSI.

Objective: Cross-sectional and qualitative studies suggest that online peer counseling have potential benefits in addressing suicidality among adolescents and young adults. The present study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of [U25], a low-threshold online peer counseling service provided in Germany.

Method: A non-randomized, longitudinal study design with control group was conducted to measure outcomes at baseline as well as four weeks, three months and six months after baseline. The control group consists of young adults who inform themselves about the service on the internet but do not register for counseling. Primary outcomes included service utilization, suicidal ideation, psychopathological symptoms and life adversities. The original sample consisted of N = 1250 young adults (treatment group: n = 210, control group: n = 1040). After propensity score matching, the treatment and control group each comprised n = 210 participants.

Results: Service utilization increased in the CG but not in the TG. Suicidal ideation and psychopathological symptoms decreased for both groups across all time points. [U25] did not lead to greater symptom reduction compared to the control group. No differences were found in the number of life adversities.

Conclusions: The results indicate that a large number of young adults with suicidal thoughts and other mental health issues feel supported by the U25 platform. However, similar symptom reduction was obtained in the treatment and control group. This result could be explained by the increased support utilization in the control group, which warrants further investigation. This study can serve as a framework for future research with larger sample sizes to further explore and validate these findings.

Objectives: Previous research has linked NSSI to various psychological, social, and environmental factors, but the relative importance of these factors across different developmental stages remains unclear. This study investigates the multidimensional factors associated with NSSI among middle and high school students in China using a Random Forest Classifier to inform targeted interventions.

Methods: A total of 2735 Chinese students provided self-reported data on NSSI behavior, functions of NSSI behavior, as well as a number of associated factors. The study utilized a Random Forest Classifier to identify key factors related to NSSI across different time periods (last month, past 6 months, and past year), and compared these factors between middle school and high school student cohorts.

Results: The Random Forest models showed good discriminative ability for identifying NSSI (AUC = 0.84 for middle school; AUC = 0.79 for high school students), with high specificity (94.7-97.3%) but low sensitivity (27.6-42.8%). For middle school students, depressive and anxiety symptoms, social support, negative self-evaluation, and self-control were primary factors. For high school students, depression, anxiety, schemas related to shame, emotional abuse, and executive functioning deficits were found primary factors. Within the subgroup who reported NSSI, differing motivations and factors were observed across developmental stages.

Conclusions: NSSI behavior in Chinese adolescents is influenced by a complex interplay of emotional, psychological, social, and cognitive factors, with clear developmental distinctions between middle and high school students. These findings underscore the need for tailored prevention and intervention strategies that are sensitive to the developmental stage of the adolescent population.

Purpose: We aimed to examine the associations between various magnitudes of declines in the Taiwan Stock Exchange Capitalization-Weighted Stock Index (TAIEX) and suicides on the day following these declines and its possible moderating effects.

Methods: We analyzed daily suicide data between January 1, 2012, and December 31, 2022. Quasi-Poisson regression models were employed to examine the cross-sectional (the same day) and lagged (one to seven days later) relationships between falls of TAIEX and suicide death.

Results: Suicide rates increased two days after days with ≥ 5% declines in daily TAIEX. Associations between slight declines in the daily TAIEX (such as ≥ 1% and ≥ 2%) and suicides were less pronounced in females; however, associations between substantial declines (≥ 3%) and suicides were more prominent in females. The associations between substantial declines in the TAIEX (such as ≥ 4% and ≥ 5%) and suicides were more pronounced in middle-aged and older individuals. As business cycle conditions improved, the associations between falls in TAIEX and suicides intensified.

Conclusion: We should pay more attention to the risk of suicide when the stock market index declines by 5% or more, especially among females, middle-aged, and older individuals, during periods of economic prosperity.

Individuals who have experienced suicidal thoughts or behaviors report experiencing stigma from social contacts and treatment providers. Although research has measured experiences of stigma related to suicide, tools measuring destigmatizing or adaptive cognitions related to suicide are limited. This study adapted a resource from NowMattersNow.org listing 10 things people with lived experience of suicide said they wished they knew when they were suicidal. These 10 things were modified into pilot items for the development of a measure of adaptive cognitions about suicide. Participants (N = 1,258) completed the pilot items, demographic items, and convergent/divergent measures. The sample was randomly split 25% (n = 314)/75% (n = 944) for exploratory and confirmatory analyses. Exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, internal consistency estimates, measurement invariance testing, and correlations with other measures were performed. A two-factor model was identified, with one factor related to coping beliefs and one factor related to destigmatizing beliefs. Four items that did not clearly load into the two identified factors were dropped, leaving six items in the final scale (three for each factor). This obtained a good fit in a CFA framework. Scores on the two factors correlated in the expected directions with measures related to stigma, mental health, and experiences with suicide. The measure was invariant across gender. However, lower-than-desirable internal consistency estimates were obtained. The resultant measure, the Adaptive Suicide Cognitions Scale, assesses two constructs that may be useful to examine further, with the goal of reducing the severity and impacts of suicide-related stigma.

Objective: Suicide is widely acknowledged as a pervasive global public health issue. Support for those bereaved by suicide (postvention) is a neglected area of research. Suicide loss survivors struggle with guilt, stigma, and a drive to comprehend. This study aimed to assess the ramifications of bereavement by suicide within a cohort of peer-support group members.

Method: Data were collected using in-depth face-to-face and online semi-structured interviews. Audio-recordings of the interviews were transcribed and analyzed via Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Eight people, recruited from a UK Peer Support Group, participated.

Findings: Five Group Experiential Themes emerged: (1) "Never going to live a normal life"; (2) "You just wear a mask"; (3) "I'm conflicted"; (4) "I just want change"; (5) "Everyone in the room understood." Findings provide insights into the mindset of a cross-section of those bereaved by suicide and the all-encompassing, pervasive, life-shattering consequences of becoming a suicide loss survivor. These include the duality of their inner torment and public persona, perpetual possession of conflicting thoughts and perspectives, and alienation.

Conclusions: A unique level of comprehension as to the power of peer-support groups is also outlined. Implications for practice include the signposting of postvention services requiring enhancement and the vital role played by peer-support groups in assisting those impacted.

Objective: Text-based crisis services often gather information on users' suicide risk prior to intervention. Suicide.ca's crisis chat service uses a triage questionnaire combining a screening question on suicidal intent with the Suicidal Ideation Attributes Scale (SIDAS) to help identify users at highest risk. This study aimed to: (1) evaluate the SIDAS's psychometric properties in a real-world setting; and (2) assess its predictive validity in identifying users likely to be classified as high risk by counselors; and (3) examine whether combining the SIDAS with the suicidal intent question improves detection of high-risk users.

Method: At triage, users completed the French version of the SIDAS along with questions on age, gender, and suicidal intent. Data from 1,480 users who subsequently received crisis intervention were analyzed. Predictive validity was evaluated using counselors' suicide risk assessments.

Results: Confirmatory factor analysis replicated the unifactorial structure of the SIDAS. All items showed satisfactory factor loadings except item 2. Internal consistency was good (ω = .80). ROC analysis showed low sensitivity and specificity in differentiating high- vs low-risk users. Adding the SIDAS (cutoff ≥ 32) to the suicidal intent item in a hierarchical regression yielded a statistically significant but modest increase in explained variance.

Conclusions: The SIDAS showed similar psychometric performance in a real-world context. While a revised cutoff improved prediction slightly, its added value in identifying users deemed high risk by counselors appears limited. The clinical utility of the SIDAS and implications of using a revised cutoff for triage in text-based intervention services will be discussed.

Objective: Understanding patterns of suicide risk over the course of development can aid our ability to prevent suicide. Our community-based study examined changes in suicide risk status and predictors of changes in risk status in a sample of 521 adolescents over six assessments between the start of middle school and young adulthood (ages 12-22).

Methods: Suicidal thoughts and behaviors (STB) were measured with the Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children and the Moods and Feelings Questionnaire. Latent transition analysis (LTA) was utilized to evaluate transitions in suicide risk status over the course of development. Nine risk factors' initial values and change over time were modeled as predictors in the LTA.

Results: Latent class analysis identified a four-class model of developmental suicide risk patterns: Class 1: Infrequent STB (73-87% of participants), Class 2: Diminishing STB (1-17% of participants), Class 3: Escalating STB (6-16% of participants), and Class 4: Consistently High STB (1-5% of participants). LTA demonstrated that infrequent STB members and escalating STB members were likely to maintain their risk class across time points.

Conclusions: Classification of STB trajectories demonstrated self-worth and family involvement were salient variables affecting transitions in risk over time and suggest prevention targets early in adolescence that could have impact on suicide risk in adulthood.

Objective: Disclosure of self-injurious thoughts and behaviors (SITBs) can serve as a catalyst to receiving mental health and lifesaving care; yet, many young people do not disclose these experiences to their therapists. In this study we aimed to identify barriers to adolescents disclosing their SITBs to their therapists and to compare these barriers across non-disclosure of suicidal ideation, suicidal behavior, and non-suicidal self-injury.

Method: Participants (n = 292) all had lived experience of at least one SITB and were an average age of 15.55 years, with the majority identifying as cisgender girls (68.15%). Using inductive content analysis of open-ended responses, six main categories of disclosure barriers were identified.

Results: These overarching barriers were: Agency Theft, Irrelevance, Therapeutic (Mis)Alliance, Internalized Stigma, Anticipated Stigma, and Lacking Disclosure Self-Efficacy. The majority (85.29%) of subordinate barriers were common across the three SITBs.

Conclusions: Adolescents may hesitate to disclose their SITBs to their therapists for many reasons; prioritizing the therapeutic relationship and working collaboratively with adolescents could be instrumental in not only fostering disclosure but also an overall more positive therapeutic experience.