Patterns of Suicidal Risk and Its Relationship with Suicidal Ideation and Attempt: Practice and Policy Implications
Abstract
Despite efforts to prevent suicide, suicide mortality rate has been increasing since 2000. This dissertation examined distinct patterns of suicidal risk based on the interpersonal-psychological theory of suicide (IPTS; Joiner, 2005), and the most critical patterns of suicidal ideation and suicide attempt were explored using latent class analysis. A nationally representative sample of White, Black, Latinx, and Asian adults from the Collaborative Psychiatric Epidemiology Surveys (Alegria et al., 2016) was used. For White adults, five latent classes were identified, and respondents in the All Three with Alcohol/Drug Dependence, All Three without Alcohol/Drug Dependence, and Thwarted Belongingness + Perceived Burdensomeness classes were more likely to demonstrate suicidal ideation and suicide attempt than those in the Only Acquired Capability for Suicide class. For Black adults, six latent classes were identified, and respondents in the All Three with Alcohol/Drug Dependence and All Three without Alcohol/Drug Dependence classes were significantly more likely to attempt suicide than those in the Low Risk class. For Latinx respondents, four latent classes were identified, and respondents in the Thwarted Belongingness + Acquired Capability for Suicide class were significantly more likely to attempt suicide than respondents in the Low Risk class. For Asian respondents, three latent classes were identified, and respondents in Thwarted Belongingness + (Active) Acquired Capability for Suicide class had a significantly higher risk for suicidal ideation and suicide attempt than those in the Low Risk class. Findings of this dissertation supported the major tenets of the IPTS that individuals are at the greatest risk for suicide attempt when thwarted belongingness, perceived burdensomeness, and acquired capability for suicide coexist. In addition, this dissertation found some variations across the four racial/ethnic groups. Findings suggested that clinicians working with people with higher risk for suicide should explore multiple dimensions of suicidal risk, especially clients’ capability for suicide (e.g., past exposure to trauma and pain- and fear-reducing experiences). Suicide-prevention campaigns and trainings need to include exploration of past exposure to trauma, physical violence, and risk-taking behaviors as well as access to means in training sessions so that trainees can better detect people with higher risk of suicide attempt.Description
2019Social Work
University of Maryland, Baltimore
Ph.D.
Keyword
cumulative riskinterpersonal-psychological theory of suicide
LCA
suicidal ideation
suicide attempt
Suicidal behavior
Latent Class Analysis
Risk Factors
Identifier to cite or link to this item
http://hdl.handle.net/10713/9577Related items
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Aspiring to a Zero Suicide Mindset at Work: Research-based U.S. National Guidelines for Suicide Prevention and PostventionMortali, Maggie G.; Frey, Jodi J; Spencer-Thomas, Sally (2020-12-14)This presentation was presented as part of the 2020 Work and Family Researchers Network (WFRN) Annual Conference. The presenters represent leaders in the field of workplace suicide prevention and all worked on developing and disseminating the U.S. National Guidelines for Workplace Suicide Prevention which are described in this presentation. At the end of this presentation, participants will be able to: 1) list reasons why suicide prevention is a workplace health and safety priority; 2) describe the essential elements of the National Guidelines for Workplace Suicide Prevention; and 3) take at least one action step towards building a sustained and comprehensive strategy for their workplace or professional association.
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Firearm-related internet searches as a correlate of future firearm suicides: Cross-correlation analyses of monthly Google search volumes and method-specific suicide rates in the United StatesLee, Joo Young; Pham, Angeline; Wong, Jonathan; Deng, Zhuoheng (Elsevier, 2021-07-01)Background: No previous study has investigated correlations between monthly Google search volumes (MGSVs) of suicide-related search terms and suicide-method specific monthly suicide rates (MSRs). This study examined if the trends in MGSVs of suicide-related terms preceded the variations in method-specific MSRs. Methods: MGSVs of 97 candidate suicide-related terms were obtained by averaging 10 timeseries data per term retrieved from Google Trends. Robust time-series analysis methods were applied to MGSVs and firearm-, poisoning-, and asphyxiation-specific MSRs in the United States between 2004 and 2017. Cross-correlation coefficients between MGSVs and methodspecific MSRs were calculated at lags of −3 to −1 (months). In the main analysis, the Benjamini-Hochberg procedure was applied to determine significant correlations while minimizing falsepositive findings. Afterwards, a sensitivity analysis identified the cross-correlations reproducible in two different time spans. Results: Fifty-six search terms with no invalid MGSV data were analyzed. MGSVs of 14 terms correlated with firearm-, poisoning-, or asphyxiation-specific MSRs in one or more lags. In the sensitivity analysis, two terms consistently showed significant positive cross-correlations: gun suicide (with firearm-specific suicides; lag -3) and “laid off” (with poisoning- and asphyxiationspecific suicides; lag -2). Limitations: Age- or gender-specific search volumes, lags outside the 1- to 3-month range, non-English searches, and confounding factors of MGSV and MSR were not explored. Conclusions: MGSVs of one firearm-related term (gun suicide) correlated with future firearmspecific MSRs. MGSVs of one method-neutral term (“laid off”) correlated with future poisoning- and asphyxiation-specific MSRs. These terms may be incorporated in novel nowcasting or predictive models for method-specific suicides. © 2021 The Author(s)