Effects of aging on the diurnal pattern of water intake in rats.

This study was undertaken to confirm previous findings that Long-Evans rats exhibit age-related changes in the diurnal/nocturnal distribution of water intake and to examine the circadian pattern of these age-related changes. Twenty-one aged and 10 young pathogen-free rats were continuously monitored for water consumption over 12:12 h light/dark cycles. ANOVA, profile analysis, and cosinor analysis each demonstrated that aged rats differed from young rats. The age-related changes in circadian pattern can be described as a blunted rhythm (decreased amplitude) and an altered timing of peak activity (advanced acrophase). These differences, however, were only apparent in a subset of aged rats with the remaining aged rats exhibiting a circadian pattern indistinguishable from that of the young group.     

Active school travel is associated with fewer suicide attempts among adolescents from low-and middle-income countries

Background/Objective: This study explored the association between active school travel (AST) and suicide attempts among adolescents in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Method: We used the data from the Global School-based Health Survey, including 127,097 adolescents aged 13-17 years from 34 LMICs. A self-reported survey was used to collect data on AST and suicide attempts as well as some variables. Multivariable logistic regression was performed to assess the association between AST and suicide attempts. A meta-analysis with random effects was undertaken to identify the difference in the association between AST and suicide attempts. Results: Across all the adolescents, the prevalence of AST was 37% and the prevalence of suicide attempts was 11.60%. Adolescents who engaged in AST were less likely to have suicide attempts irrespective of gender. The country-wise analysis indicated a large inconsistency in the association between AST and suicide attempt across the countries. Conclusions: AST would appear to be a protective factor for reducing suicide attempts among adolescents. However, the association between AST and suicide attempts varied greatly across the countries. Future studies should confirm the association between AST and suicide attempts.     

The Role of Sleep Disturbance in Suicidal and Nonsuicidal Self‐Injurious Behavior among Adolescents

The relationship between different sleep disturbances and self‐harm thoughts and behaviors was examined among 223 adolescents presenting to a community clinic for mood disorders and suicidal and nonsuicidal self‐injurious behaviors. Two‐thirds of the adolescents reported nightly, severe sleep complaints. Relative to adolescents without significant sleep complaints, patients with severe sleep complaints at the time of clinic entry endorsed significantly more engagement in nonsuicidal self‐injury. Middle insomnia and circadian reversal were both significant predictors of suicide attempts. Terminal insomnia was significantly associated with suicidal ideation. Results support the importance of assessing sleep difficulties among adolescents at risk for suicide.     

Suicide ideation and attempts in Hispanics and non-Hispanic whites: demographic and psychiatric disorder issues

This study examined the lifetime prevalence of suicide ideation and attempts in a community sample of 1,425 Hispanics and 1,309 non-Hispanic whites. The relationship between psychiatric disorder (as assessed by the Diagnostic Interview Schedule, or DIS) and suicide ideation and attempts was also examined. Fewer Hispanics reported suicide ideation (8.8% vs. 18.9%; p less than .001) and suicide attempts (3.2% vs. 5.1%; p less than .001) than non-Hispanic whites. More women of both ethnic groups reported suicide attempts than men of either ethnic group (p less than .001). Disrupted marital bonds were typically associated with higher rates of ideation and attempts. Individuals with any DIS diagnosis were more than four times as likely to think about killing themselves (p less than .01) and more than seven times as likely to attempt suicide (p less than .01) as those without a psychiatric disorder.     

Trends in attempted suicide in Denmark, 1976-1980

The object of the present study was to estimate proportions and changes in the incidence of suicide attempts in Denmark. Case sheets concerning all admissions in 1976-1979 (total 6,650) at the Department of Psychiatry, Odense University Hospital (the catchment area of which provides a representative sample of the Danish population), were examined with a view to establishing the reasons for admission. Rates of suicide attempts by age and sex in 1976-1979 were calculated, and estimated rates of the suicide attempts in 1980 added. Trend analysis showed an increase in the mean rates from 1976 to 1979 of 48%, followed by a decrease in 1980 of 13%. There were high increases among the adolescents, but the increase was above all due to the fact that more and more men attempted suicide; the study suggests as a new phenomenon more male than female suicide attempters. We stress the fact that incidences calculated on the basis of hospital admissions only underestimate the real proportions of self-destructive behavior.     

Timelines for difficult times: use of visual timelines in interviewing suicide attempters

The stories of people who attempt suicide are insufficiently reflected in suicide research in psychology. This article outlines a method using a visual timeline during the interviews to explore the narratives of suicide attempts. The method was successfully employed in two studies to collect data on the suicidal process from people with prior experience of suicide attempts. The advantages of the method in collecting comprehensive data, building rapport, and fostering participants’ insight are outlined. Strategies that were used to ensure safety of participants are described in addition to the requirements for interviewers seeking to apply this method.     

Adolescent sibling differences in suicidal symptoms: The role of parent-child relationships

This study examined concordance for symptoms of suicide among 178 pairs of adolescent siblings, and the association of youth and maternal reports of parenting with variation in suicide ideation both across families and between siblings. Crosstabulation analyses indicated a significant risk of suicide ideation among siblings of adolescents who had made suicide attempts, as well as a significant degree of concordance for suicide ideation among pairs of siblings. Regression analyses indicated that reported levels of maternal warmth and harsh discipline, especially youth reports, were associated with suicide ideation, and that sibling differences on these parenting indices were associated with differences in suicide ideation both across families as well as between siblings. However, sibling differences in reported parenting did not contribute to prediction of suicide ideation above the variance accounted for by the simple levels of parenting reported by adolescents.     

校园氛围与青少年的自杀意念/企图：自尊的中介作用

尽管相当一部分青少年自杀发生于学校背景中,但目前较少有研究考察校园氛围是否会影响以及怎样影响青少年的自杀意念/企图。本研究旨在检验校园氛围的不同方面(教师支持、同学支持、自主机会)与青少年自杀意念/企图的关系,以及自尊在其中的中介作用。采用分层整群抽样的方法,选取广东省10所学校2758名初中生作为被试,匿名填写家庭功能问卷、社区问题问卷、校园氛围问卷、Rosenberg自尊量表、自杀意念与企图问卷。回归分析表明:(1)在控制了性别、年龄、社会经济地位、家庭功能和社区问题后,教师支持和同学支持均能显著负向预测自杀意念/企图,自主机会对自杀意念/企图的预测作用不显著;(2)自尊在教师支持和同学支持与自杀意念/企图之间起着中介作用。因此,实践工作中应重视教师支持和同学支持对青少年自尊的塑造作用,进而减少自杀意念/企图。     

Seasonality of Violent Suicides in the Athens Greater Area

The aim of the study was to ascertain suicide seasonality in the Greek population and to associate this seasonal variation with age, sex, and suicide method. Studying seasonality can be of help in establishing a public health policy, related with suicide prevention. This is an epidemiologic study based on forensic evidence. We studied the deaths caused by self‐injury (trauma), namely deaths by violent suicide (not self‐poisoning). Statistically significant suicide seasonality was established with a peak in May. This seasonal variation is attributed mainly to males. As for the method, suicide by hanging peaks in June and by shooting in April. It was also observed that seasonality for individuals above the age of 45 peaks in early May.     

Suicide attempts and family history of suicide in three psychiatric populations

The influence of a family history of suicide on suicide attempt rate and characteristics in depression, schizophrenia, and opioid dependence was examined. One hundred sixty inpatients with unipolar depression, 160 inpatients with schizophrenia, and 160 opioid-dependent patients were interviewed. Overall, a family history of suicide was associated with a higher risk for suicide attempt, with high-lethality method, with repeated attempts, and with number of attempts, while the interaction between family history and diagnostic group was not significant. Thus, a positive family history of suicide was a risk factor for several suicide attempt characteristics independent of psychiatric diagnosis.     

Factors associated with suicide attempts in female inmates: the hegemony of hopelessness

In this study factors associated with past suicide attempts in female inmates were examined. Female inmate participants (N = 105) were given structured diagnostic assessments of antisocial and borderline personality disorders and substance dependence, as well as measures of depression, hopelessness, problem-focused coping styles, and reasons for living. There was a high lifetime prevalence of past suicide attempts (38.1%). Suicide attempts were positively associated with personality disorders, hopelessness, depression, childhood physical/emotional abuse, and family history of suicide and mood disorders, and negatively associated with income, reasons for living, and problem-focused coping. Controlling for hopelessness, borderline personality disorder and family history of suicide attempts were the only variables that remained uniquely associated with suicide attempts.     

The Associations of Physical and Sexual Assault with Suicide Risk in Nonclinical Military and Undergraduate Samples

The associations of various forms of sexual and physical assault with a history of suicide attempts and recent suicide ideation were studied in two distinct samples: active duty military and undergraduate students. A total of 273 active duty Air Force personnel and 309 undergraduate students anonymously completed self‐report surveys of assault victimization, emotional distress, belongingness, recent suicide ideation, and previous suicide attempts. Among military personnel, rape, robbery, or violent assault was associated with a nonsignificant trend toward increased risk for suicide attempts, whereas physical abuse or battering as an adult was significantly associated with recent suicide ideation. Among undergraduates, unwanted sexual experiences as an adult and physical or sexual abuse as a child were significantly associated with increased risk for suicide attempt, but only unwanted experiences as an adult was significantly associated with increased risk for suicide ideation. Experiencing multiple forms of assault increased risk for suicide attempts and ideation in both groups. Results suggest that different types of assault contribute differentially to suicide risk in military versus undergraduate populations, but experiencing multiple types of assault is associated with increased risk in both groups.     

Current suicide proneness and past suicidal behavior in adjudicated adolescents

Youth recently assigned to probation (n = 233) were assessed for current suicide proneness, depression, and hopelessness, as well as for recent suicide ideation, previous suicide ideation, or suicide attempt(s). The Life Attitudes Schedule-Short Form (LAS-SF) was used to assess suicide proneness. As per the LAS-SF, suicide proneness was defined broadly to include current engagement in overtly suicidal behavior as well as in risk-taking and potentially injury-producing behaviors, coupled with a lack of engagement in health and safety behaviors, or self-enhancement behaviors. As expected, current suicide proneness was significantly associated with a history of suicide ideation and attempts, recent ideation, and current depression and hopelessness for adjudicated youth. Gender differences were obtained between the strength of the association between suicide proneness and depressive symptoms. A subgroup of adjudicated youth (n = 39) was then interviewed about their suicidal behaviors. Among other things, these youth indicated that the majority of their previous suicide attempts were committed impulsively.     

Risk factors for medically serious suicide attempts: evidence for a psychodynamic formulation of suicidal crisis

This study explored a psychodynamic model for suicide risk by examining risk factors for medically serious suicide attempts, including assessments of affect flooding, negative self-schema / fragmentation, and impaired reality testing, closely approximating Maltsberger's psycho-dynamic formulation of suicide crisis. Baseline risk factors including age, gender, psychiatric symptoms, high-risk behaviors, and the Implicit Risk for Suicide Index (IRSI) were used to detect medically serious suicide attempts monitored for up to a year after the assessment. Twenty-five psychiatric inpatients who made life-threatening suicide attempts after assessment were compared to 25 inpatients and 25 psychotherapy outpatients who made no suicide attempts during follow-up. Statistical analysis revealed that a history of at least one suicide attempt and elevated IRSI scores accounted for 60 percent of the variance in detecting medically serious suicide attempts. Elevated IRSI accurately identified suicide attempt status above and beyond past suicide attempts and other empirically validated risk factors. Results are discussed in light of psychodynamic formulations of suicide risk.     

Circadian rhythms determined by cosine curve fitting: Analysis of continuous work and sleep-loss data

In this study, we report the effects of sleep loss upon circadian rhythm parameters analyzed by the cosine curve fitting (cosinor) method. Rhythm alterations are described as reductions in rhythm strength, increases in individual variations producing an increase in the 95% confidence limits, and reductions in rhythm amplitude. Subjects worked continuously at tasks for 45 h with time-of-day cues. Circadian cycles in physiological and mood variables remained intact, but rhythms in some task performance measures no longer showed significant 24-h/cycle activities. The relationship between oral temperature, mood, and pulse rhythms continued undisturbed during the continuous work period; however, the performance linkage to oral temperature was lost. These findings direct attention to individual difference in susceptibility to continuous work periods and suggest that 24-h rhythms in some performance and physiological measures perhaps are more readily responsive to an altered wake/sleep cycle than other circadian rhythms.     

Temporal Variation in Adolescent Suicide Attempts

The purpose of this study was to examine the association between adolescent suicide attempts and temporal cycles in a multiethnic population. Medical records at two hospitals in the state of Hawaii were reviewed for all adolescents (ages 12–18) admitted for suicide attempts during the years 1987–1991. Results showed 296 adolescents attempted suicide, and as hypothesized, temporal factors were associated with the attempts. A significant increase in attempts was found during the afternoon/evening and on Mondays and Tuesdays, transition points between home and school. The results are discussed and implications for delivery and temporal theory development considered.     

Suicidal Ideation of Psychiatrically Hospitalized Adolescents has One-Year Predictive Validity for Suicide Attempts in Girls Only

Clinicians commonly incorporate adolescents’ self-reported suicidal ideation into formulations regarding adolescents’ risk for suicide. Data are limited, however, regarding the extent to which adolescent boys’ and girls’ reports of suicidal ideation have clinically significant predictive validity in terms of subsequent suicidal behavior. This study examined psychiatrically hospitalized adolescent boys’ and girls’ self-reported suicidal ideation as a predictor of suicide attempts during the first year following hospitalization. A total of 354 adolescents (97 boys; 257 girls; ages 13–17 years) hospitalized for acute suicide risk were evaluated at the time of hospitalization as well as 3, 6, and 12 months later. Study measures included the Suicidal Ideation Questionnaire-Junior, Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children, Children’s Depression Rating Scale-Revised, Beck Hopelessness Scale, Youth Self-Report, and Personal Experiences Screen Questionnaire. The main study outcome was presence and number of suicide attempt(s) in the year after hospitalization, measured by the Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children. Results indicated a significant interaction between suicidal ideation, assessed during first week of hospitalization, and gender for the prediction of subsequent suicide attempts. Suicidal ideation was a significant predictor of subsequent suicide attempts for girls, but not boys. Baseline history of multiple suicide attempts was a significant predictor of subsequent suicide attempts across genders. Results support the importance of empirically validating suicide risk assessment strategies separately for adolescent boys and girls. Among adolescent boys who have been hospitalized due to acute suicide risk, low levels of self-reported suicidal ideation may not be indicative of low risk for suicidal behavior following hospitalization.     

The Vulnerability of Young Japanese Women and Suicide

ABSTRACT: Young Japanese females had the highest suicide rate in the world until the end of the 1960s, and it is still extremely high. This paper attempts to explain this phenomenon primarily in terms of vulnerability—in their personalities, social conditions, and role conflicts. Concomitant psychological traits and social conditions are discussed. The cultural conflict of young Japanese women is explicated in terms of psychological and historical information. In addition, the reasons for the differences between the suicide rates among females in the Tokyo area and the Kyoto-Osaka area are explored largely in terms of concepts relating to authoritarianism and its correlates.     

Suicide and the Generation Gap*

ABSTRACT: To explore psychological parameters of suicide as perceived by young adults, the middle-aged, and old people, an area sample of 317 Detroit subjects, whose ages placed them in one of these three generations, was administered a questionnaire concerning their beliefs about the generations and suicide and their self-reported relationship to suicide. A 3-way fixed-effects analysis of variance (generation × sex × socioeconomic status) indicated that all generations believed that the old (a) have the greatest desire to die, (b) know the least about suicide, (c) make the fewest attempts, (d) are the least frequently successful, and (e) are the least socially condemned for committing suicide. Self-appraisals indicated that (a) lower socioeconomic status is associated with a greater “death wish,” (b) young adults and males claim a greater knowledge about suicide, and (c) the generations do not differ in desire to die, considerations of suicide, and suicide attempts.