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Self-Injuries and Suicidal Behavior

A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Behavioral and Mental Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 May 2024) | Viewed by 10185

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Epidemiology and Psychosocial Research, Instituto Nacional de Psiquiatría Ramón de la Fuente Muñiz (National Institute of Psychiatry [INPRFM]), Calz México-Xochimilco 101, Colonia Huipulco, Tlalpan, Ciudad de México 14370, Mexico
Interests: emotional state and suicidal problems in adolescents and young people; emotional well-being in children for the promotion of well-being and health; design and validation of psychosocial instruments

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Guest Editor
Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, School of Psychology, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (National Autonomous University of Mexico), Av. Universidad 3004, Col, Copilco Universidad, Coyoacán, Ciudad de México 04510, Mexico
Interests: psychological assessment; counseling; behavioral psychology; mental illness; psychological testing; treatment; clinical health psychology; DSM; therapeutic outcomes; student counseling

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In 2019, it was estimated that 703,000 people died by suicide worldwide, and suicide attempts in addition to self-injuries are precursors to this problem. Self-injurious behaviors are the most common among adolescents and young adults, and are estimated to begin between the ages of 12 and 14. The prevalence of self-injury is between 7.5 and 46.5% in adolescents, 39% in college students, and between 4 and 23% in adults. Despite increasing knowledge about this problem, it is important to examine the developmental trajectories, antecedents, and risk factors associated with it.

Suicidal behaviors have a higher prevalence than suicide. After the COVID-19 pandemic, suicide rates have not increased significantly, although more frequent suicidal thoughts have been observed in people who were infected with COVID-19. Although suicide rates may not have significantly increased, we are in an environment with barriers to providing solutions for those who experience this problem; more evidence is needed regarding epidemiology, patterns of care, and prevention.

We invite you to participate in this Special Issue, in which we will accept academic papers of a high scientific quality that provide answers to the questions posed by these problems. Epidemiological papers, systematic reviews, and original as well as experimental manuscripts that provide evidence to strengthen the field of the current knowledge are welcome.

Prof. Dr. Catalina González-Forteza
Dr. Angélica Juárez-Loya
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • nonsuicidal self-injury
  • self-injurious behavior/psychology
  • self-injurious behavior/epidemiology
  • self-mutilative behavior
  • suicide
  • suicide/psychology
  • suicide/epidemiology
  • suicide attempt
  • suicide ideation
  • mental health

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Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

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11 pages, 343 KiB  
Article
Developmental Assets and Their Relationship to Suicidal Behavior in Mexican Young Adults
by Omar Baza-Arce, Angélica Juárez-Loya and Catalina González-Forteza
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2024, 21(8), 1068; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph21081068 - 15 Aug 2024
Viewed by 719
Abstract
Suicide in young people is a public health problem. Typically, protective factors for suicide are not studied; research tends to focus on measuring risk factors. However, knowing the risk factors does not mean that we also know the opposing factors that influence a [...] Read more.
Suicide in young people is a public health problem. Typically, protective factors for suicide are not studied; research tends to focus on measuring risk factors. However, knowing the risk factors does not mean that we also know the opposing factors that influence a group’s health problems. For this reason, we examined the relationship between developmental assets in Mexican youth aged 18 to 25 years who are not at risk for suicide, exhibit self-injurious behavior, and whose last suicide attempt had low or high lethality. A cross-sectional study of 478 young people (73% female and 27% male) from Mexico City was conducted using an online survey and correlations were tested with dummy variables (groups) and multinomial logistic regression. The no-risk group showed associations with all developmental assets, the self-injurious group had an association with the house rules variable, the low lethality group was correlated with twelve assets and the high lethality group with four assets. Four internal developmental strengths were significant in the regression model: avoidance of risk behaviors, school expectations, resistance to pressure, and expression of anger. These results suggest that PYD is a useful framework for examining suicide risk and promotes skill development in young college students. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Self-Injuries and Suicidal Behavior)
12 pages, 676 KiB  
Article
Dynamic Deconstructive Psychotherapy for Suicidal Adolescents: Effectiveness of Routine Care in an Outpatient Clinic
by Rebecca J. Shields, Jessica P. Helfrich and Robert J. Gregory
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2024, 21(7), 929; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph21070929 - 16 Jul 2024
Viewed by 1211
Abstract
Suicidal behavior and demand for services have been increasing in adolescents. Many of the current treatments are focused on symptom mitigation, crisis management, and safety planning; however, few are aimed at remediating underlying vulnerabilities that may be contributing to suicide risk. Dynamic Deconstructive [...] Read more.
Suicidal behavior and demand for services have been increasing in adolescents. Many of the current treatments are focused on symptom mitigation, crisis management, and safety planning; however, few are aimed at remediating underlying vulnerabilities that may be contributing to suicide risk. Dynamic Deconstructive Psychotherapy (DDP) has been found to be effective for suicidal adults but has never been studied for adolescents. The present study examined real-world outcomes of 65 suicidal adolescents, aged 13–17 years, receiving weekly DDP in an outpatient clinic. The primary outcome was change in suicide ideation from baseline to 6 months of treatment as assessed by the Suicide Ideation Subscale of the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale. In intent-to-treat analyses, suicide ideation significantly decreased over the 6 months with a large treatment effect (d = 1.19). Secondary measures, such as suicide attempts, self-harm, depression, anxiety, disability, self-compassion, and inpatient utilization, also improved significantly. Among the 42 adolescents (65%) who completed at least 6 months of treatment, suicide attempts decreased by 84%. DDP may be effective in reducing suicide ideation and other risk factors in suicidal adolescents and may be cost-effective given reduced inpatient utilization. These initial promising findings warrant further research and development. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Self-Injuries and Suicidal Behavior)
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14 pages, 1725 KiB  
Article
Why Do We Agree to Disagree? Agreement and Reasons for Disagreement in Judgements of Intentional Self-Harm from Coroners and a Suicide Register in Queensland, Australia, from 2001 to 2015
by Stuart Leske, Bridget Weir, Ghazala Adam and Kairi Kõlves
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2024, 21(1), 52; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph21010052 - 30 Dec 2023
Viewed by 2129
Abstract
Suicides are likely to be underreported. In Australia, the National Coronial Information System (NCIS) provides information about suicide deaths reported to coroners. The NCIS represents the findings on the intent of the deceased as determined by coroners. We used the Queensland Suicide Register [...] Read more.
Suicides are likely to be underreported. In Australia, the National Coronial Information System (NCIS) provides information about suicide deaths reported to coroners. The NCIS represents the findings on the intent of the deceased as determined by coroners. We used the Queensland Suicide Register (QSR) to assess the direction, magnitude, and predictors of any differences in the reporting of suicide in Queensland. Therefore, we conducted a consecutive case series study to assess agreement and variation between linked data from the NCIS and QSR determinations of suicide for all suicide deaths (N = 9520) in the QSR from 2001 to 2015 recorded from routinely collected coronial data. The rate of concordance between the QSR and NCIS for cases of intentional self-harm was 92.7%. There was disagreement between the findings in the data, since 6.3% (n = 597) were considered as intentional self-harm in the QSR but not in the NCIS, and, less commonly, 0.9% (n = 87) were considered intentional self-harm in the NCIS but not in the QSR. Overall, the QSR reported 510 more suicides than the NCIS in 15 years. These findings indicate that using suicide mortality data from suicide registers may not underreport suicide as often. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Self-Injuries and Suicidal Behavior)
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10 pages, 359 KiB  
Article
Factors Associated with Cocaine Consumption among Suicide Victim
by Luisa Caroline Costa Abreu, Sarah dos Santos Conceição, Delmason Soares Barbosa de Carvalho, Ana Cristina Machado, Amanda Oliveira Lyrio, Elivan Silva Souza, Cauê Silva Souza, Paulo José dos Santos de Matos, Josicélia Estrela Tuy Batista, Juliano de Andrade Gomes, Alexandre Marcelo Hintz, Priscilla Perez da Silva Pereira, Simone Seixas da Cruz, Isaac Suzart Gomes-Filho and Ana Claudia Morais Godoy Figueiredo
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(21), 14309; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192114309 - 2 Nov 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2119
Abstract
Cocaine use is an increasingly frequent event, especially in young people, and can cause irreversible consequences, such as suicide. To evaluate the factors associated with cocaine use in the moments preceding to suicide. This is a population-based, cross-sectional, and analytical study conducted in [...] Read more.
Cocaine use is an increasingly frequent event, especially in young people, and can cause irreversible consequences, such as suicide. To evaluate the factors associated with cocaine use in the moments preceding to suicide. This is a population-based, cross-sectional, and analytical study conducted in the Brazilian Federal District by researchers from the Department of Health and the Civil Police Institute of Criminalistics. All people who died due to suicide in 2018 were included in the survey. Cocaine use was considered the dependent variable, and robust Poisson regression was performed to estimate the crude and adjusted prevalence ratios and their respective population confidence intervals. In 2018, 12,157 deaths were recorded, of which suicide accounted for 1.56% of all deaths. It was observed that being between 25 and 44 years old, male, and under the influence of alcohol or cannabis, had a strong positive association with cocaine consumption among suicide victims. Males, people with black skin, with lower level of education, with employment, and who were under the effect of the use of cannabis and/or alcohol in the previous hours of death had a higher propensity to consume cocaine immediately before suicide, with a moderate to strong magnitude of prevalence ratio. The findings of this research indicated the need for monitoring, by health services, of people most vulnerable to suicide through the consumption of psychoactive substances. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Self-Injuries and Suicidal Behavior)
13 pages, 600 KiB  
Article
Persistent Depressive Disorder-Related Effect of Sleep Disorder on the Highest Risk of Suicide in Taiwan, 2000–2015
by Sheng-Huang Hsiao, Chih-Chien Cheng, Iau-Jin Lin, Chia-Peng Yu, Yao-Ching Huang, Shi-Hao Huang, Chien-An Sun, Li-Yun Fann, Miin-Yea Sheu and Wu-Chien Chien
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(20), 13169; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192013169 - 13 Oct 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1896
Abstract
Objective: to investigate whether persistent depressive disorder (PDD) affects sleep disorders (SDs) and increased suicide risk. Methods: in this study, we used the National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD) to select 117,033 SD patients, of whom 137 died by suicide, and 468,132 non-SD [...] Read more.
Objective: to investigate whether persistent depressive disorder (PDD) affects sleep disorders (SDs) and increased suicide risk. Methods: in this study, we used the National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD) to select 117,033 SD patients, of whom 137 died by suicide, and 468,132 non-SD patients, of whom 118 died by suicide, and analyzed gender, age, and co-existing diseases. Hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated using a multivariate Cox proportional hazards model. Results: the hazard ratio of suicide in SD patients was 1.429 times that of non-SD patients. The hazard ratio of suicide in female patients was 1.297 times higher than in males. Compared with people without PDD, people with PDD had a 7.195 times higher hazard ratio for suicide than those without PDD. PDD patients with SDs had a 2.05 times higher hazard ratio for suicide than those with no SDs. Conclusions: suicide risk was increased in SD patients, and the maximum suicide risk was greater in SD patients with PDD than in non-PDD patients. PDD affected SDs and increased suicide risk. Clinicians should be aware of the possibility that PDD affects patients with SDs and contributes to suicide risk. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Self-Injuries and Suicidal Behavior)
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19 pages, 730 KiB  
Systematic Review
Indo-Caribbean Youth and Suicidal Behavior: A Systematic Review
by Raul Ruiz Camacho and Shiryn D. Sukhram
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2024, 21(6), 801; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph21060801 - 19 Jun 2024
Viewed by 1100
Abstract
The suicide rates in Guyana, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago are among the highest in the Americas, containing significant Indo-Caribbean populations that are suggested to be most vulnerable to suicide. This systematic review analyzes the existing literature and identifies knowledge gaps in risk [...] Read more.
The suicide rates in Guyana, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago are among the highest in the Americas, containing significant Indo-Caribbean populations that are suggested to be most vulnerable to suicide. This systematic review analyzes the existing literature and identifies knowledge gaps in risk and protective factors against suicide in these countries. The literature search conducted followed PRISMA guidelines using the PubMed and APA PsycInfo databases. The PRISMA flow diagram illustrated that eight scholarly papers were eligible for inclusion. Included literature examined stratified data focused on the aforementioned countries, as well as their Indo-Caribbean adolescent populations. Excluded literature did not mention suicidality, adolescents, Indo-Caribbeans, or the focal countries or was focused on the Jonestown mass murder–suicide event. The studies encompassed 6581 individuals. Identified risk factors include social stigma regarding suicide, mental health resource scarcity, and difficult socioeconomic conditions. The identified protective factors for youth include religious/spiritual practices and group activities. Limitations include database quantity, risk of publication bias, and the small sample for each study. A prevailing social stigma regarding suicide was identified. Greater research is needed relating to effects of suicide legislation, bereavement experiences, sociocultural contexts, geography, migration patterns, and culturally compatible interventions to aid future suicide prevention efforts. The protocol was registered with PROSPERO (CRD42023417494). Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Self-Injuries and Suicidal Behavior)
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