Teachers' knowledge of facts and myths about suicide

Suicidal behavior is a serious public health concern that has prompted the development of prevention strategies, which include increasing community members' knowledge about suicide. Given that teachers are in a key position to recognize and respond to suicidal behavior, this study examined teachers' knowledge about suicide to identify how they need to be educated relative to its prevention. 82 Canadian school teachers from middle and high schools were administered a revised version of the 32-item Facts on Suicide Quiz to examine their knowledge of suicide. Analysis indicated that general information about suicide was limited, while knowledge of clinically relevant information about suicide, e.g., "Suicide rarely happens without warning," was relatively high.     

San Diego suicide study: comparison of gay to straight males

Previous large studies of completed suicides have not considered sexual orientation in their data analyses. In this study, data from the known homosexual subpopulation (13 males, aged 21-42) in a series of 283 suicides were examined. They were compared with all other aged male suicides 21-42 (n = 106). Both groups showed considerable substance abuse plus a variety of other psychiatric diagnoses. Both also had a high frequency of relationship difficulties near the time of death. Gays who committed suicide did not have a history of more police trouble and were no more likely to be living alone than the comparison group. They did not have more prior suicide attempts or previous psychiatric treatment. We conclude that, among the factors examined here, there appears to be little difference between gay and heterosexual male suicides.     

It's a funny thing about suicide: a personal experience

In contrast to discussions about suicide from medical, psychiatric, psychological and other objectivist perspectives, this paper focuses vividly on its personal, subjective aspects. The complex role of suicidal rumination in the course of an intermittent but chronic depression is discussed, as are the importance of cognitive schema, interpersonal exacerbation, and failed diagnosis. A key feature of the paper is the central heuristic of a therapist disclosing and examining her own suicidality.     

Cross-national social ecology of intelligence and suicide prevalence: integration, refinement, and update of studies

This study integrates, refines, and updates previous findings pertaining to positive ecologic (population-level) associations between intelligence and suicide prevalence across nations by using corrected and revised national IQ estimates and, further, a quality-of-human-conditions index, both recently published by Lynn and Vanhanen. Across a global 85-nation sample of sex-specific total suicide rates and a Eurasian 48-nation sample of sex-specific elderly suicide rates, these were positively associated with updated national IQ estimates. The associations were stronger for the general population than for elderly persons, independent of the quality of human conditions, and notedly stronger in exponential fitting of suicide rates with national IQ than in linear fitting, thereby indicating that shifts or differences in national IQ correspond to proportional, not absolute, changes in suicide rates. Implications of these findings and the question of generalizability of such associations to the individual level are discussed.     

Knowledge about hand shaping and knowledge about objects

Our two experiments investigated associations between cognitive representations of objects and hand-shape categories. Hand configurations were partitioned according to prehensility and the size of the contacting surface, resulting in the classes: pinch, poke, palm, and clench. Experiment 1 elicited object names in response to configuration-name cues, provided ratings of the relevance of each configuration to a set of objects, and probed for the functions determining such relevance. Cueing with a configuration class elicited an associated object category with substantial intersubject agreement, and vice versa. Both the object categories and the functions associated with the four hand-configuration classes differed substantially, although the same object could be associated to some extent with multiple configurations, given variations in function. Experiment 2 elicited the names of hand-configuration classes in response to unfamiliar forms, which varied systematically in depth and the size of the projecting picture-plane surface. The modal response, response time, and degree of intersubject agreement were directly related to these variables. These structural variables, however, did not adequately predict shaping responses to real objects, as ascertained from Experiment 1. The results have implications for cognitive representation of motor categories and hand shaping in response to objects.     

Knowledge and attitudes about attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD): a comparison between practicing teachers and undergraduate education students

The knowledge and attitudes of practicing teachers regarding ADHD were compared with those of undergraduate education students. Key elements of studies of American and Canadian teachers by Jerome, Gordon, and Hustler (1994) and Jerome, Washington, Laine, and Segal (1999) were replicated. Information was gathered about participants' demographic background (training in ADHD), attitudes towards ADHD, and knowledge about its diagnosis and treatment. Results confirmed the existence of some knowledge gaps, although both practicing teachers and undergraduate education students possessed sound information about ADHD. Misconceptions about ADHD primarily concerned dietary treatment. Attitudes and knowledge were significantly correlated and most participants regarded ADHD as a valid diagnosis with implications for the school setting, and expressed a desire for comprehensive training. Despite similar results for both samples, teachers achieved higher accuracy on knowledge-based questions. These results are discrepant from those of Jerome et al. (1999) who found teachers and students to be similar in factual knowledge. Implications of these findings for curriculum development in academia and in-service teacher training are highlighted.     

"The Great Transformation" and suicide: local and long-lasting effects of 1930 bank suspensions

Depression-era bank suspensions and failures are conceptualized as products of the first part of what Polanyi (1994) called "The Great Transformation," which involved an imbalanced institutional arrangement in which the economy dominated other institutions. Relying on Durkheim (1897/1951) and Merton (1938, 1968), it is argued that these banking problems accentuated the type of chronic anomie that Durkheim theorized would create normative deregulation and elevated suicide rates over the long-term. Results from county-level analyses are supportive as the 1930 bank suspension rate is positively related to the 2000 suicide rate, controlling for contemporary and historical factors. The mediating roles of integration and chronic anomie are considered, with the latter measured using data from the geocoded General Social Survey.     

Sociocultural determinants of suicide ideation: a comparison between American and Ghanaian college samples

This study investigated the role of gender, family cohesion, religiosity, and negative suicide attitudes as potential determinants of cultural differences in suicide ideation among 375 college students from Ghana and the United States. Significant cultural differences were found for suicide ideation, family closeness, religiosity, and negative suicide attitudes. Family cohesion and negative attitudes were significant predictors for both cultural groups. Gender was a significant determinant for suicide ideation among Ghanaians, but not Americans; religiosity was not a significant determinant for either group. More extensive research on sociocultural influences on suicide, especially among countries in which suicide is underreported or not documented, is encouraged.     

Acculturation and suicide attitudes: a study of perceptions about suicide among a sample of Ghanaian immigrants in the United States

To investigate whether a relationship exists between acculturation and attitudes about suicide, 81 Ghanaian immigrants living in the U.S. who responded to a mail inquiry were selected to participate in the current study. This particular immigrant sample was chosen because although they represent a rapidly growing group in the U.S., they have been rarely studied. Respondents consisted of 42 women and 36 men (3 did not identify their sex), with a mean age of 29.5 yr. (SD = 10.6). Participants completed measures of acculturation and attitudes about suicide. Results indicated significant correlations between length of residency in the United States and negative suicide attitudes, and also between psychological acculturation and negative suicide attitudes. No significant relationship was found between behavioral acculturation and suicide attitudes. Furthermore, length of residency was a stronger predictor of suicide attitudes than other subjective measures of acculturation. Implications and suggestions for further research are discussed.     

Suicide intervention trainees' knowledge of myths about suicide

The responses of 70 trainees in suicide intervention to 10 Suicide Opinion Questionnaire items were evaluated for accuracy of their knowledge about suicide myths. Participants were Canadian adults (62 women, 8 men, M (age) = 35 yr.) representing a wide variety of occupations and educational backgrounds. Analysis indicated knowledge for most items was high but less accurate for items concerning the most common method of suicide and suicide risk across the lifespan. Those trained in suicide intervention were more knowledgeable on four items than those awaiting training; they more frequently knew that most suicides are not triggered by an argument with a spouse, people who are depressed are more likely to commit suicide, a person whose parent has committed suicide is at greater risk for suicide, and that shooting is the most common method of suicide in Canada.     

Attitudes toward suicide: a comparison of Canadian and U.S. college students

The Suicide Opinion Questionnaire (SOQ) was administered to two samples (n = 100 each) of college students, one from Canada and one from the United States. A multivariate analysis of variance indicated substantial intergroup differences, but no sex differences. Univariate analyses indicated significant differences on 8 of the 15 SOQ factors, suggesting that Canadian college students perceive suicide as part of everyday life, not to be explained by recourse to religious, personality, or psychopathological constructs. The results are discussed in terms of six themes present in the suicide literature: motivation, acceptability, religion, impulsivity, recidivism, and misconceptions. Speculation is also provided regarding why such differences (despite considerable similarities) might exist.     

Youth suicide risk factors and attitudes in New York and Vienna: a cross-cultural comparison

The prevalence of suicide risk factors and attitudes about suicide and help-seeking among New York and Viennese adolescents were compared in order to explore possible cross-cultural differences. Viennese adolescents exhibited higher rates of depressive symptomatology than their New York counterparts and had more first-hand experience with suicidal peers. More attribution of suicide to mental illness was reported in Vienna; yet Viennese youth were less likely than New York adolescents to recognize the seriousness of suicide threats. Help-seeking patterns of Viennese adolescents were influenced by their setting a high value on confidentiality. These cross-cultural differences may reflect the limited exposure of Austrian youth to school-based suicide prevention programs. The findings highlight the need of taking the sociocultural context into consideration in the planning of youth suicide prevention strategies.     

The prevalence of suicidal ideation and suicide attempt in patients with rheumatic diseases: a systematic review and meta-analysis

A number of studies have reported the suicidal ideation (SI) or suicide attempts (SA) of patients with rheumatic diseases. However, the estimated prevalence of those disorders varies substantially between studies. This systematic review aimed to describe the prevalence of SI and SA in rheumatic diseases. Literature search was done using Web of Science, Embase, the Cochrane database library, PubMed and CNKI database through June 2017. Studies were screened according to inclusion and exclusion criteria and the qualities of included studies were evaluated. The data was analyzed using STATA version 12.0. A random-effect meta-analysis was conducted on all eligible data. A total of 17 identified studies matched the inclusion criteria, involving 5174 participants with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), osteoarthritis (OA), rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and fibromyalgia (FM). Meta-analysis showed that rheumatic diseases patients have high prevalence of SI (26%, 95% CI: 19%-32%, I²=96.2%) and SA (12%, 95% CI: 3%-21%, I²=96.6%). We also found the prevalence of SI and SA in females may be higher than in males. All of these indicated that rheumatologists should screen for SI and SA in their patients. Early appropriate intervention is therefore essential to promote the patients’ good mental health.     

Common Knowledge and Reductionism about Shared Agency

Most reductionist accounts of intentional joint action include a condition that it must be common knowledge between participants that they have certain intentions and beliefs that cause and coordinate the joint action. However, this condition has typically simply been taken for granted rather than argued for. The condition is not necessary for ensuring that participants are jointly responsible for the action in which each participates, nor for ensuring that each treats the others as partners rather than as social tools. It is thus something of a mystery why the condition is so widely accepted. By rejecting three arguments that could potentially support it, I argue that reductionists should get rid of the condition. I show that two of the arguments fail. While the third argument is intuitively compelling, it builds on key premises that are unavailable to the reductionist.     

Knowledge of the alphabet: A comparison between letter counts and subjective reports

Subjects’ estimates of the frequency of occurrence of the letters of the alphabet were compared with previously reported letter-frequency counts. The results indicated an overall good relationship between actual and judged rank, but there were consistent letter-specific under- and overestimations. These inaccuracies were not accounted for by letter versatility, first-position frequency, or order in the alphabet. There was evidence that subject-derived estimates of letter frequency were somewhat better predictors of reaction time performance on letter-processing tasks.