OBJECTIVE: Although poor parental bonding is a known risk factor for suicidality, current literature is inconsistent about the relative role of low parental care and parental overprotection, as well as the combination of the two, termed "affectionless control". This review presents the current state of knowledge of the relationship between suicidality and these two aspects of parental bonding. METHOD: The computerized databases Medline, PubMed, PsychINFO, PsychLit, and Google Scholar were searched using combinations of the following keywords: suicidality, suicide, suicide attempt, suicidal behavior, parental bonding, and parental bonding instrument. Using the results, we reviewed the reports on the relationship between suicidality and parental bonding as measured by validated parental bonding instruments. RESULTS: Twelve papers were analyzed. All of them used the parental bonding instrument (PBI) and one used both the PBI and the object representation inventory (ORI). Most reports agreed that, in mothers, either lack of maternal care and/or overprotection was associated with an increase in suicidal behavior, while in fathers only low care was consistently associated with suicidality. This lack of constancy with regard to the effect of paternal overprotection appears to be due to cultural differences in fathers' role in child rearing. With these differences acknowledged, affectionless control in both parents emerges as the parenting style most strongly associated with suicidal behavior. Common methodological problems included low numbers of subjects, inconsistent control groups, and the lack of a uniform definition of suicidality. CONCLUSION: Despite methodological limitations, current literature consistently indicates that parental affectionless control is associated with suicidal behavior. Recognizing affectionless control as a risk factor for suicide and developing early interventions aimed at modifying affectionless and overprotective parenting style in families with a history of affective disorders may be effective in reducing suicidal risk.
OBJECTIVE: Although poor parental bonding is a known risk factor for suicidality, current literature is inconsistent about the relative role of low parental care and parental overprotection, as well as the combination of the two, termed "affectionless control". This review presents the current state of knowledge of the relationship between suicidality and these two aspects of parental bonding. METHOD: The computerized databases Medline, PubMed, PsychINFO, PsychLit, and Google Scholar were searched using combinations of the following keywords: suicidality, suicide, suicide attempt, suicidal behavior, parental bonding, and parental bonding instrument. Using the results, we reviewed the reports on the relationship between suicidality and parental bonding as measured by validated parental bonding instruments. RESULTS: Twelve papers were analyzed. All of them used the parental bonding instrument (PBI) and one used both the PBI and the object representation inventory (ORI). Most reports agreed that, in mothers, either lack of maternal care and/or overprotection was associated with an increase in suicidal behavior, while in fathers only low care was consistently associated with suicidality. This lack of constancy with regard to the effect of paternal overprotection appears to be due to cultural differences in fathers' role in child rearing. With these differences acknowledged, affectionless control in both parents emerges as the parenting style most strongly associated with suicidal behavior. Common methodological problems included low numbers of subjects, inconsistent control groups, and the lack of a uniform definition of suicidality. CONCLUSION: Despite methodological limitations, current literature consistently indicates that parental affectionless control is associated with suicidal behavior. Recognizing affectionless control as a risk factor for suicide and developing early interventions aimed at modifying affectionless and overprotective parenting style in families with a history of affective disorders may be effective in reducing suicidal risk.
Authors: David Chen; O Joseph Bienvenu; Janice Krasnow; Ying Wang; Marco A Grados; Bernadette Cullen; Fernando S Goes; Brion Maher; Benjamin D Greenberg; Nicole C McLaughlin; Steven A Rasmussen; Abby J Fyer; James A Knowles; James T McCracken; John Piacentini; Dan Geller; David L Pauls; S Evelyn Stewart; Dennis L Murphy; Yin-Yao Shugart; Mark A Riddle; Gerald Nestadt; Jack Samuels Journal: Compr Psychiatry Date: 2016-11-14 Impact factor: 3.735
Authors: Ingeborg Lunde; Marte Myhre Reigstad; Kristin Frisch Moe; Tine K Grimholt Journal: Int J Environ Res Public Health Date: 2018-05-08 Impact factor: 3.390
Authors: Xavier Alvarez-Subiela; Carmina Castellano-Tejedor; Francisco Villar-Cabeza; Mar Vila-Grifoll; Diego Palao-Vidal Journal: Int J Environ Res Public Health Date: 2022-08-11 Impact factor: 4.614
Authors: Vânia Meira Siqueira-Campos; Mariana Siqueira Campos De Deus; Larissa Arbués Carneiro; Alessandra Vitorino Naghettini; Maria Amélia Dias Pereira; José Miguel De Deus; Délio Marques Conde Journal: Biomed Res Int Date: 2021-07-13 Impact factor: 3.411