Body Mass Index Is an Important Predictor for Suicide: Results from a Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis

Public health concerns for the independent management of obesity and suicidal behavior are rising. Emerging evidence suggests body weight plays an important role in quantifying the risk of suicide. In light of these findings, we aimed to clarify the association between body mass index (BMI) and suicidal behavior by systematically reviewing and evaluating the literature. Studies were identified by searching MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, and CINAHL from inception to January 2015, supplemented by hand and grey literature searches. Study screening, data extraction, and risk of bias assessment were conducted in duplicate. We included 38 observational studies. Meta‐analyses supported an inverse association between BMI and completed suicide. Pooled summary estimates demonstrated that underweight was significantly associated with an increased risk of completed suicide (HR = 1.21, 95% CI 1.07 to 1.36, p = .002), and obesity (HR = 0.71, 95% CI 0.56 to 0.89, p = .003) and overweight (HR = 0.78, 95% CI 0.75 to 0.82, p < .0001) were significantly associated with a decreased risk of completed suicide relative to normal weight. A qualitative summary of the literature demonstrated conflicting evidence regarding the association between BMI and attempted suicide and revealed no association between BMI and suicidal ideation. BMI may be used to aid the assessment of suicide risk, especially that of completed suicide. However, unmeasured confounders and systematic biases of individual studies limit the quality of evidence.     

Sexual Assault,Overweight, and Suicide Attempts in U.S. Adolescents

Associations between overweight, sexual assault history, and suicide attempts were examined among 31,540 adolescents from the combined 2009 and 2011 nationally representative Youth Risk Behavior Surveys samples. These variables have not previously been studied concurrently. It was hypothesized that overweight and sexual assault, together, would interact and result in increased suicide attempts. Findings across analyses included (a) no significant associations between sexual assault and overweight in females or males (p = .65 and p = .90, respectively), (b) statistically significant associations between female (but not male) overweight status and suicide attempts (p = .001), (c) a strong association between sexual assault and suicide risk in males (p < .001) and females (p < .001), and (d) an elevated risk for suicide in overweight males with co‐occurring sexual assault, with over 33% of males with such histories attempting suicide. Preliminary findings have powerful implications for research and secondary prevention.     

Keeping Ourselves Sane: A Qualitative Exploration of Black Women’s Coping Strategies for Gendered Racism

Sex Roles - Black women in the United States have historically overcome extreme hardships and continue to do so. They have survived unthinkable bouts of trauma due to their subordinate racial and...     

Age differences in neural activity related to mentalizing during person perception

ABSTRACT

Mentalizing, or thinking about others’ mental states, shapes social interactions. Older adults (OA) have reduced mentalizing capacities reflected by lower medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) activation. The current study assessed if OA’ lower mPFC activation reflects less spontaneous mentalizing during person perception. Younger adults (YA) and OA viewed ingroup White and outgroup Black and Asian faces and completed a mentalizing task during fMRI. Afterward, they completed a task in which they inferred mental states from faces. Using an mPFC region defined by the mentalizing task, OA had lower activity than YA during person perception. OA’ mPFC activity toward faces positively related to their mentalizing outside the scanner. The extent of OA’ lower mPFC activation during person perception may depend on their actual detection of mental states in faces. Further, YA’, but not OA’, mPFC activity distinguished between outgroups. OA’ lower mentalizing-related mPFC activity may reduce their ability to individuate outgroup members.     

Considerations Regarding Online Methods for Suicide‐Related Research and Suicide Risk Assessment

Frequent advances in technology provide new and exciting opportunities for conducting suicide research and suicide risk assessments. However, to the authors' knowledge, best practices for using technology, specifically the Internet, to conduct research protocols involving suicide risk assessments have not been examined. In research contexts, the use of technology for research on suicidal behavior and suicide risk assessment can offer benefits relative to other forms of data collection. These advantages, which include increased validity, feasibility, and efficiency, as well as improvements in data collection and management, are presented. Considerations regarding the implementation of an online system for suicide risk assessment as well as limitations and future directions are discussed.     

Understanding the impact of attachment insecurity on PTSD symptoms among male Veterans and military personnel

ABSTRACT

Attachment insecurity (i.e., attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance) has been found to contribute to PTSD symptom severity in Veterans. However, little is known of the unique contribution of attachment insecurity on individual PTSD symptom clusters. In a community sample of 106 combat-deployed Veterans, active duty service members, and reservists, this study examined: (1) the relationships between childhood family experience, combat experience, attachment insecurity, and PTSD symptom clusters, and (2) the influence of attachment insecurity on PTSD symptom clusters. Results revealed significant correlations between attachment anxiety and all PTSD symptom clusters (rs = .22 –.43) and attachment avoidance and PTSD symptom clusters, except the avoidance cluster (rs = .21 ?.36). Four multiple regression analyses were employed to address the second study aim. Childhood family experiences predicted negative alterations in cognitions and mood (β = –.30) and alterations in arousal and reactivity (β = –.20). Further, combat experience significantly predicted each symptom cluster of PTSD (βs = .03 –.44). In the second step, attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance were added to each model. Attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance predicted negative alterations in cognitions and mood (βs = .22 and .35) and alterations in arousal and reactivity (βs = .27 and .17). Inconsistent with previous research, attachment insecurity did not predict symptoms of avoidance. These results highlight the impact of attachment among a diverse sample of trauma exposed individuals and may provide insights for clinical implications and therapeutic approaches when working with Veterans and military personnel high in attachment insecurity.     

Thoughtful Friends: Executive Function Relates to Social Problem Solving and Friendship Quality in Middle Childhood

Abstract

The present study examined links between best friendship quality, social problem solving in response to a transgression and conscious control of behavior (i.e., executive function or EF). Eighty-one 7- to 10-year-olds answered questions about their best friendship quality and responses to friendship transgressions (i.e., interpretations, goals, and strategies they would endorse). They also completed a battery of EF tasks measuring working memory, inhibition, and shifting. Results revealed few relations between social problem solving and best friendship quality. Social problem solving related to EF abilities, with inhibition relating to fewer revenge goals and cognitive flexibility relating to more neutral interpretations. Better working memory related to worse best friendship quality. Finally, verbal IQ was a strong predictor of several positive social problem-solving interpretations, goals, and strategies. Results suggest cognitive abilities in EF and language may be important to consider during middle childhood in this period of advancing social problem solving and friendships.     

Young children’s contingent interactions with a touchscreen influence their memory for spatial and narrative content

ABSTRACT

Young children have difficulty learning from two-dimensional (2D) sources (e.g., television). One reason for this may be that 2D media lacks the contingent feedback present in social interactions. Touchscreens can provide contingent, reciprocal responses in the absence of a social partner, and thus may have the potential to overcome the challenges of learning by viewing. We assessed 30- to 48-month-old children’s memory for eBook content and traced objects after interactive or observational touchscreen exposure. The degree of interactivity with the touchscreen varied by three conditions of (1) close-mapping in which the touchscreen input corresponded closely with the output, (2) far-mapping, and (3) watching a screen recording. Children who watched the screen recording did best on delayed object recognition for traced objects, whereas results for the eBook material revealed a condition by gender by age (months) interaction. Girls’ memory for eBook material improved with increasing age after interacting via near- or far-mapping. Results are discussed in terms of gender and age differences in executive functioning and the capacity of cognitive load, and the limitations of contingent interactions.