Julie Cerel1, Myfanwy Maple2, Judy van de Venne1, Melinda Moore3, Chris Flaherty1, Margaret Brown4. 1. University of Kentucky, College of Social Work, Lexington, KY. 2. University of New England, School of Health, Armidale, Australia. 3. Eastern Kentucky University, Department of Psychology, Richmond, KY. 4. University of Kentucky, College of Public Health, Department of Epidemiology, Lexington, KY.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Suicide has been identified as a major public health issue. Exposure to suicide (i.e., knowing someone who died by suicide) is far more pervasive than previously considered and might be associated with significant adverse outcomes. As suicide becomes more commonly discussed in the public arena, a compelling need exists to determine who is exposed to suicide and how this exposure affects those left behind. This study estimated the proportion of the population exposed to suicide and delineated factors that predict significant psychiatric and psychosocial morbidity following that exposure. METHODS: A dual-frame random-digit-dial survey was conducted on a sample of 1,736 U.S. adults in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Depression and anxiety were compared in suicide-exposed and suicide-unexposed individuals. Relationships were examined between psychiatric outcomes and perceptions of closeness to the decedent. RESULTS: Forty-eight percent of weighted participants (n=816/1,687) reported lifetime exposure to suicide. Current depression and anxiety symptoms were higher in suicide-exposed than in suicide-unexposed individuals. Suicide-exposed individuals were twice as likely as suicide-unexposed individuals to have diagnosable depression and almost twice as likely to have diagnosable anxiety. Suicide-exposed individuals were more likely than suicide-unexposed individuals to report suicide ideation (9% vs. 5%). Closeness to the decedent increased the odds of depression and anxiety and almost quadrupled the odds of posttraumatic stress disorder. CONCLUSION: Exposure to suicide is pervasive and occurs beyond family; as such, it is imperative to identify those with perceived closeness to the decedent. This hidden cohort of suicide-exposed people is at elevated risk for psychopathology and suicidal ideation.
OBJECTIVE: Suicide has been identified as a major public health issue. Exposure to suicide (i.e., knowing someone who died by suicide) is far more pervasive than previously considered and might be associated with significant adverse outcomes. As suicide becomes more commonly discussed in the public arena, a compelling need exists to determine who is exposed to suicide and how this exposure affects those left behind. This study estimated the proportion of the population exposed to suicide and delineated factors that predict significant psychiatric and psychosocial morbidity following that exposure. METHODS: A dual-frame random-digit-dial survey was conducted on a sample of 1,736 U.S. adults in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Depression and anxiety were compared in suicide-exposed and suicide-unexposed individuals. Relationships were examined between psychiatric outcomes and perceptions of closeness to the decedent. RESULTS: Forty-eight percent of weighted participants (n=816/1,687) reported lifetime exposure to suicide. Current depression and anxiety symptoms were higher in suicide-exposed than in suicide-unexposed individuals. Suicide-exposed individuals were twice as likely as suicide-unexposed individuals to have diagnosable depression and almost twice as likely to have diagnosable anxiety. Suicide-exposed individuals were more likely than suicide-unexposed individuals to report suicide ideation (9% vs. 5%). Closeness to the decedent increased the odds of depression and anxiety and almost quadrupled the odds of posttraumatic stress disorder. CONCLUSION: Exposure to suicide is pervasive and occurs beyond family; as such, it is imperative to identify those with perceived closeness to the decedent. This hidden cohort of suicide-exposed people is at elevated risk for psychopathology and suicidal ideation.
Authors: Robert J Ursano; Ronald C Kessler; James A Naifeh; Holly Herberman Mash; Carol S Fullerton; Paul D Bliese; Alan M Zaslavsky; Tsz Hin Hinz Ng; Pablo A Aliaga; Gary H Wynn; Hieu M Dinh; James E McCarroll; Nancy A Sampson; Tzu-Cheg Kao; Michael Schoenbaum; Steven G Heeringa; Murray B Stein Journal: JAMA Psychiatry Date: 2017-09-01 Impact factor: 21.596
Authors: Caitlin Wolford-Clevenger; Shane Kuhlman; Lawrence Christian Elledge; Phillip N Smith; Gregory L Stuart Journal: Psychol Violence Date: 2018-01-18
Authors: Demee Rheinberger; Fiona Shand; Katherine Mok; Lauren McGillivray; Myfanwy Maple; Alexander Burnett; Lisa N Sharwood; Nicola A Chen; Michelle Torok Journal: Int J Environ Res Public Health Date: 2021-04-28 Impact factor: 3.390
Authors: Jason D Jones; Rhonda C Boyd; Monica E Calkins; Tyler M Moore; Annisa Ahmed; Ran Barzilay; Tami D Benton; Raquel E Gur; Ruben C Gur Journal: J Child Psychol Psychiatry Date: 2020-03-30 Impact factor: 8.982