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1 – 10 of over 5000
Article
Publication date: 15 March 2019

Michael D. Anestis, Samantha E. Daruwala and Neil Carey

Firearms account for the majority of suicide deaths in the US military and general population. The percentage of suicides resulting from firearms is higher in the military…

Abstract

Purpose

Firearms account for the majority of suicide deaths in the US military and general population. The percentage of suicides resulting from firearms is higher in the military, however, and as such, the ratio of non-lethal to lethal suicide attempts is lower in the military than in the general population. In 2013, Congress passed the National Defense Authorization Act, which facilitated a Department of Defense (DoD) shift toward allowing commanding officers and clinicians to inquire about personal firearms with service members perceived as being at risk and also began giving free cable locks to firearm-owning military personnel. The purpose of this paper is to provide a preliminary understanding of the effectiveness of this change, the authors examined trends in firearm suicide attempts within the US military and general population from 2010 to 2015.

Design/methodology/approach

Data on non-lethal and lethal suicide attempts overall and within specific methods were extracted from the Department of Defense Suicide Event Report and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System (2011–2015).

Findings

Contrary to expectations, firearms were not utilized in a smaller proportion of suicide attempts within the military post-law change. Consistent with expectations, however, the ratio of non-lethal to lethal suicide attempts increased, particularly after the change in law, with the ratio in the military converging somewhat with that of the general population.

Originality/value

Overall, results were mixed, with only limited and tangential evidence that the change in law has proven effective. More precise data collection will be required in order to fully evaluate such laws.

Details

Journal of Aggression, Conflict and Peace Research, vol. 11 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1759-6599

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 February 2007

Johannes Lohner and Norbert Konrad

This article reviews the international literature of the last two decades on self‐injurious behaviour in prisons and jails and introduces the risk factors associated with this…

Abstract

This article reviews the international literature of the last two decades on self‐injurious behaviour in prisons and jails and introduces the risk factors associated with this behaviour. Studies from a variety of countries investigated different samples (e.g. in jails or prisons; female or male inmates). We only chose those studies using a control group of inmates without self‐injurious behaviour. The findings on potential risk factors for self‐injurious behaviour are largely contradictory because of the differences in sample selection and dependent variables (deliberate self‐harm without suicidal intent vs. suicide attempts). We also discuss some methodological problems in predicting self‐injurious behaviour.

Details

International Journal of Prisoner Health, vol. 3 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1744-9200

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 12 March 2014

XinQi Dong, Ruijia Chen, E-Shien Chang and Melissa A. Simon

– The purpose of this paper is to examine the prevalence of suicide attempts and explore the suicide methods among community-dwelling Chinese older adults.

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the prevalence of suicide attempts and explore the suicide methods among community-dwelling Chinese older adults.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were drawn from the Population Study of Chinese Elderly in Chicago (PINE) study, a population-based epidemiological study of Chinese older adults aged 60 years and above in the greater Chicago area. Guided by the community-based participatory research (CBPR) approach, the study enrolled 3,159 community-dwelling Chinese older adults from 2011 to 2013.

Findings

The lifetime prevalence of suicide attempts is 791 per 100,000 and the past 12-month prevalence of suicide attempts is 285 per 100,000. Medication overdose is the most common suicide method both in the group of lifetime suicide attempts and 12-month suicide attempts. Lower income is positively correlated with lifetime suicide attempts and 12-month suicide attempts. Living with fewer household members is positively correlated with lifetime suicide attempts but not with 12-month suicide attempts.

Research limitations/implications

The findings emphasize the needs for improved understanding of suicidal behavior among minority older adults and to develop culturally and linguistically sensitive prevention and intervention strategies.

Practical implications

Community stakeholders should improve the accessibility and availability of culturally sensitive mental health services and extend timely and effective suicide interventions in the Chinese community.

Originality/value

This study represents the first and largest population-based epidemiological study to investigate the suicide attempts and methods among US Chinese older adults. In addition, the implementation of the CBPR approach allows us to minimize the cultural barriers associated with suicide investigation. The study emphasizes the need for improved understanding on suicidal behavior among minority older adults to inform culturally and linguistically sensitive prevention and intervention strategies.

Details

Ethnicity and Inequalities in Health and Social Care, vol. 7 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1757-0980

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 November 2002

Louisa Snow

This paper reports findings from a study of the social, situational and environmental factors that contribute to suicide and self‐injury in prison, focusing here on prisoners'…

Abstract

This paper reports findings from a study of the social, situational and environmental factors that contribute to suicide and self‐injury in prison, focusing here on prisoners' motivations for their actions. In‐depth interviews were conducted with 143 prisoners in ten prisons in England and Wales who had engaged in an act of self‐injury or an attempt at suicide. The majority of participants described a number of precipitating or motivational factors related to concrete events, feelings/emotions (or both), operating within five different dimensions: offence‐related, interpersonal, symptom relief, instrumental and situational. In very few cases were there single reported causes. Motivational factors more prevalent among participants who attempted suicide included relationship problems, concerns about forthcoming court appearances and factors relating to drug withdrawal. Those who attempted suicide were more likely to describe concrete events or experiences as motivational factors. Those who injured themselves without suicidal intent were much more likely to describe negative feelings or emotions as precipitating factors. The results highlight the complex and multifactoral nature of suicidal and self‐injurious behaviours. At the very least they lend support to the suggestion that different strategies should be developed for those who attempt suicide and those who injure themselves for other reasons.

Details

The British Journal of Forensic Practice, vol. 4 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1463-6646

Article
Publication date: 9 December 2014

Diddy Antai and David Anthony

The purpose of this paper is to assess the prevalence of, and determined the factors associated with self-reported symptoms of suicide attempts and psychosocial distress among…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to assess the prevalence of, and determined the factors associated with self-reported symptoms of suicide attempts and psychosocial distress among female victims of intimate partner violence (IPV).

Design/methodology/approach

Using cross-sectional data from 13,594 women aged 15-49 years from the 2008 Philippines Demographic and Health Surveys, the authors measured univariate prevalence, conducted bivariate and multivariate analyses using logistic regression models to examine the associations between outcomes, exposures, and potential explanatory variables.

Findings

In total, 47 and 8 per cent of the women reported psychological distress, and suicide attempts following IPV, respectively. Physical and psychological IPV occurred in 7 per cent of the women, respectively, whilst sexual IPV occurred in 5 per cent of the women. Multivariate analyses showed significant association between physical and psychological IPV and suicide attempt, as well as psychological distress.

Research limitations/implications

This study extends the knowledge about the interaction between IPV, suicide attempts, and psychological distress by redirecting the attention to more systemic expressions of the excess burden of IPV among abused women.

Practical implications

It highlights the significance of screening for the presence of, and accumulated effect of IPV exposures as a risk factor for suicide attempt and psychological distress.

Social implications

Since IPV is a product of gendered norms and power relations, the extent to which exposure to IPV results in poor mental health outcomes is determined by the interplay between societal gender norms and attitudes, poverty, and psychological distress.

Originality/value

Given that most of the literature on the association between traumatic events, psychosocial stress, and suicidality derive from high-income countries, they do not reflect cultural differences within the context of low-middle-income countries like the Philippines, or be generalizable to the low-middle-income countries.

Details

Journal of Public Mental Health, vol. 13 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1746-5729

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 20 December 2023

Maha Aon, Anne Katrine Graudal Levinsen, Taoufiq Abtal, Mouna Regragui, Che Henry Ngwa, Dominique Berhan Leth-Sørensen, Mohamed Bouharras, Majda Azzouzi, Adil Benjelloun, Nisrine Riffai and Marie Brasholt

High rates of suicide and self-harm are reported in prisons in Western countries, while fewer studies exist from a non-Western context. This study aims to identify rates of suicide

Abstract

Purpose

High rates of suicide and self-harm are reported in prisons in Western countries, while fewer studies exist from a non-Western context. This study aims to identify rates of suicide, non-fatal suicide attempts and self-harm in Moroccan prisons and to better understand the context, methods, tools, predictors and profile of persons engaged in the acts.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors report findings from a mixed-methods study carried out before an intervention project. The study consists of a systematic literature review, an analysis of suicide case files, a quantitative survey on suicide attempts and self-harm, as well as interviews and focus group discussions. The authors calculate suicide, suicide attempt and self-harm rates and present descriptive data on the incidents. The authors use regression models to explore the association between the number of incidents per individual and selected predictors, adjusting for clustering by institution.

Findings

Over a four-year period, 29 detained persons in Morocco died by suicide (average annual suicide rate 8.7 per 100,000). Most were men under the age of 30. Hanging accounted for all but one case. In one year, 230 suicide attempts were reported. Over a three-months period, 110 self-harm cases were reported from 18 institutions, cutting being the most common method. Self-harm was significantly more prevalent among persons with a life sentence or repeated incarcerations.

Research limitations/implications

To make the study manageable as part of an intervention project, the authors collected data on suicides and suicide attempts from all prisons, while data on self-harm were collected from fewer prisons and over a shorter time period. The authors did not collect comparable information from detained persons who did not die by suicide, attempt suicide or self-harm. This prevented comparative analyses. Further, it is possible that self-harm cases were not reported if they did not result in serious physical injury. Data were collected by prison staff; thus, the voice of incarcerated persons is absent.

Practical implications

This study provided a solid basis for designing an intervention project including the development of a national prison policy and guidelines on suicides, suicide attempts and self-harm and a country-wide training program for prison staff. It also led to a better surveillance system, allowing for trend analysis and better-informed policymaking. The qualitative results helped create an understanding of how staff may trivialize self-harm. This was integrated into the training package for staff, resulting in the creation of prison staff trainers who became the strongest advocates against the notion that self-harm was best ignored.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first published data on suicide and self-harm in Moroccan prisons. It underscores the necessity for the intervention project and gives valuable insights into suicide and self-harm in a non-Western prison context. Further research is needed to assess whether the findings are typical of the region.

Details

International Journal of Prison Health, vol. 20 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2977-0254

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 25 January 2023

David Lester

The purpose of this study is to examine why an attempt at suicide does not always indicate the beginning of a life with poor mental health.

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to examine why an attempt at suicide does not always indicate the beginning of a life with poor mental health.

Design/methodology/approach

Case studies, supplemented by follow-up studies of attempted suicides.

Findings

One of the strongest predictors of a healthy life after the suicide attempt was found to be improvement in the appropriateness of behavior toward others and improved adult functioning.

Originality/value

The results suggest that behavioral coaching, in addition to traditional psychiatric treatment, could help attempted suicides move on with their lives productively.

Details

Mental Health and Social Inclusion, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2042-8308

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 26 July 2012

Jerneja Sveticic and Diego De Leo

The idea of a progression in suicide phenomena, from death wishes to suicide attempts and completed suicides, is quite old and widely present in literature. This model of…

Abstract

The idea of a progression in suicide phenomena, from death wishes to suicide attempts and completed suicides, is quite old and widely present in literature. This model of interpreting suicidality has great relevance in preventative approaches, since it gives the opportunity of intercepting suicidal trajectories at several different stages. However, this may not be the case for many situations, and the hypothesis of a continuum can be true only in a limited number of cases, probably embedded with a specific psychopathological scenario (e.g. depression) and with a frequency that should not permit generalisations. This paper reviews the available evidence about the existence and validity of this construct, and discusses its practical implications.

Details

Mental Illness, vol. 4 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2036-7465

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 15 January 2021

Jennifer Pearson, Lindsey Wilkinson and Jamie Lyn Wooley-Snider

Purpose: Sexual minority youth are more likely than their heterosexual peers to consider and attempt suicide, in part due to victimization experienced within schools. While…

Abstract

Purpose: Sexual minority youth are more likely than their heterosexual peers to consider and attempt suicide, in part due to victimization experienced within schools. While existing research suggests that rates of school victimization and suicidality among sexual minority students vary by school and community context, less is known about variation in these experiences at the state level.

Methodology: Using data from a large, representative sample of sexual minority and heterosexual youth (2017 Youth Risk Behavior States Data, n = 64,746 high school students in 22 states), multilevel models examine whether differences between sexual minority and heterosexual students in victimization and suicide risk vary by state-level policies.

Findings: Results suggest that disparities between sexual minority and heterosexual boys in bullying, suicide ideation, and suicide attempt are consistently smaller in states with high levels of overall policy support for LGBTQ equality and nondiscrimination in education laws. Sexual minority girls are more likely than heterosexual girls to be electronically bullied, particularly in states with lower levels of LGBTQ equality. Disparities between sexual minority and heterosexual girls in suicide ideation are lowest in high equality states, but state policies are not significantly associated with disparities in suicide attempt among girls.

Value: Overall, findings suggest that state-level policies supporting LGBTQ equality are associated with a reduced risk of suicide among sexual minority youth. This study speaks to the role of structural stigma in shaping exposure to minority stress and its consequences for sexual minority youth's well-being.

Details

Sexual and Gender Minority Health
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-83867-147-1

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 2 December 2022

Rebekah A. Freese, Kelli E. Canada, Pagena M. Nichols and Brianna McNamara

Suicide prevention and intervention in prisons is a challenge. Prisons were not designed to be clinical facilities, yet with the growing numbers of people who face mental health…

Abstract

Purpose

Suicide prevention and intervention in prisons is a challenge. Prisons were not designed to be clinical facilities, yet with the growing numbers of people who face mental health challenges in prisons, staff require knowledge and skills to adequately address mental health crises, especially suicide. This study aims to: describe trends in suicide attempts and completions within one state’s prison system and measure staff knowledge and preparedness to address suicide.

Design/methodology/approach

This research uses a nonexperimental research design and two data sources. Administrative data from 2000 to 2017 on serious suicide attempts and completions were analyzed, and all correctional staff employed in the state’s Department of Corrections were surveyed at one point in time. Univariate and bivariate analyses were conducted.

Findings

The number of serious suicide attempts trended up but completed suicides decreased. Correctional staff demonstrated high suicide knowledge of risk factors and warning signs of suicide. Staff who viewed a media-based suicide training displayed significantly more knowledge of suicide and perceived greater preparedness compared to staff who did not or did not recall viewing the training.

Originality/value

Corrections staff play a key role in preventing suicides in prison. Innovative intervention is needed to increase suicide awareness, improve communication and enhance prevention skills.

Details

International Journal of Prisoner Health, vol. 19 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1744-9200

Keywords

1 – 10 of over 5000