Relative social standing and suicide ideation among Kenyan males: the interpersonal theory of suicide in context

Socioeconomic status and depressive symptoms and suicidality: The role of subjective social status

BACKGROUND

Low socioeconomic status (SES) confers access to material resources and social standing and is an established risk factor of both depressive symptoms and suicidality. Subjective social status (SSS) assesses how people perceive their position within the social hierarchy and has been proposed to impact mental health. This study examined the relationship between SES and depressive symptoms and suicidality and tested whether SSS mediated these associations.

METHODS

This study drew on publicly available survey data from the US National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health). Participants were surveyed at baseline in 2008 (N = 4948; aged 28.8 years) and at followed up in 2016-2018 (N = 3509; aged 37.8 years). SES was gauged using personal and household income, assets, education, and job prestige. SSS was assessed using the MacArthur Scale. Depressive symptoms were assessed using four-items from the Centre for Epidemiological Studies Scale of Depression (CESD) and participants reported suicidal ideation and suicide attempts in the past year.

RESULTS

Both low SES and SSS were associated with elevated levels of depressive symptoms, suicidal ideation, and suicide attempts in cross-sectional and prospective analyses. SSS explained 27 % of the association between SES and depressive symptoms, 51 % of the relationship between SES and suicidal ideation, and 37 % of the link between SES and suicide attempts on average.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings contribute to understanding the long-term effects of SSS and suggest that perceptions of status may be a key mechanism through which low SES forecasts the development of depressive symptoms and suicidality.

Linking suicide and social determinants of health in South Korea: An investigation of structural determinants

Introduction

Studies have shown that suicide is closely related to various social factors. However, due to the restriction in the data scale, our understanding of these social factors is still limited. We propose a conceptual framework for understanding social determinants of suicide at the national level and investigate the relationships between structural determinants (i.e., gender, employment statuses, and occupation) and suicide outcomes (i.e., types of suicide, places of suicide, suicide methods, and warning signs) in South Korea.

Methods

We linked a national-level suicide registry from the Korea Psychological Autopsy Center with the Social Determinants of Health framework proposed by the World Health Organization's Commission on Social Determinants of Health.

Results

First, male and female suicide victims have clear differences in their typical suicide methods (fire vs. drug overdose), primary warning signs (verbal vs. mood), and places of death (suburb vs. home). Second, employees accounted for the largest proportion of murder-suicides (>30%). The proportion of students was much higher for joint suicides than for individual suicides and murder-suicides. Third, among individuals choosing pesticides as their suicide method, over 50% were primary workers. In terms of drug overdoses, professionals and laborers accounted for the largest percentage; the former also constituted the largest proportion in the method of jumping from heights.

Conclusion

A clear connection exists between the investigated structural factors and various suicide outcomes, with gender, social class, and occupation all impacting suicide.

Perceived Social Status and Suicidal Ideation in Maltreated Children and Adolescents

Recent decades have seen an alarming increase in rates of suicide among young people, including children and adolescents (“youth”). Although child maltreatment constitutes a well-established risk factor for suicidal ideation in youth, few efforts have focused on identifying factors associated with maltreated youths’ increased risk for suicidal ideation, especially across development. The present study examined the relations between maltreated youths' (N = 279, M = 12.06 years, 52% female, 53% Latinx) perceptions of their social status and suicidal ideation and compared those relations between pre-adolescents and adolescents. Findings revealed unique developmental patterns: Perceived social status was associated with suicidal ideation, but only in adolescents, who showed greater risk for suicidal ideation if they viewed themselves as lower ranked in society and lower risk for suicidal ideation if they viewed themselves as higher ranked in society. Findings have implications for scientific and practical efforts aimed at better understanding and preventing suicide in a high-risk developmental population.

Social capital and psychological distress during Colombian coronavirus disease lockdown

This study aimed to establish the association of low social capital (SC) with psychological distress indicators. A cross-sectional study was carried out using an online questionnaire that evaluated demographic variables, social capital, perceived stress related to coronavirus disease, depression risk, insomnia risk, and suicide risk. SC was taken as an independent variable, and symptoms indicating psychological distress were considered as dependent variables. A group of 700 adults aged between 18 and 76 years (M = 37, SD = 13) participated in the survey. Low SC was associated with depression risk (odds ratio [OR] = 2.00, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.34-2.97), elevated suicide risk (OR = 2.62, 95% CI = 1.40-4.91) high perceived stress related to coronavirus disease (OR = 2.08 95% CI, 1.15-3.76), and insomnia risk (OR = 2.42, 95% CI = 1.69-3.47). In conclusion, low CS was associated with indicators of psychological distress. SC is a community social resource that could help mitigate the quarantine impact of coronavirus disease amidst the Colombian population's psychological health.

Suicidal ideation among Bangladeshi university students early during the COVID-19 pandemic: Prevalence estimates and correlates

Lockdown, social isolation, and interruption of daily life during the COVID-19 period have impacted many lives. University students are particularly vulnerable to such disruptions and may be particularly disposed to suicidal ideation, potentially creating a new public health crisis. This study aimed to assess suicidal ideation and associated factors among university students in Bangladesh during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. A cross-sectional online survey was conducted using the Google form (Google survey tool) from April to May 2020. Initially, 3366 respondents voluntarily completed the survey form. Finally, 3331 surveys were included in the final analyses after removing incomplete surveys. The data ware reviewed, rechecked, and analyzed with SPSS (25.0 version) software. A total of 1979 (59.4%) males and 1352 (40.6%) females participated. Respondents were between the ages of 18 to 28 years (mean age 21.4 years [SD = 1.9]). The prevalence estimate of suicidal ideation was 12.8%. Potential risk factors included less sleep, excess sleep, cigarette smoking, past suicidal thoughts, suicide attempt history, family history of suicidality, depression, anxiety, and stress. Potential protective factors included being male, having lower SES, living in rural areas, regular physical exercise, and satisfactory study. Suicidal ideation was prevalent among Bangladeshi university students during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Understanding the correlates of suicidal ideation may aid to develop targeted strategies to support students during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Social rank theory of depression: A systematic review of self-perceptions of social rank and their relationship with depressive symptoms and suicide risk

BACKGROUND

Depression can be debilitating, as well as a risk factor for self-harm and suicide. Social rank theory (SRT) suggests depression stems from feelings of defeat and entrapment that ensue from experiencing oneself to be of lower rank than others. This study aims to review the literature investigating the relationship between self-perceptions of social rank and depressive symptoms or suicidal ideation/behaviour.

METHODS

A keyword search of three psychological and medical databases was completed (Psychinfo, Medline, Web of Knowledge). Studies were quality assessed using established criteria.

RESULTS

An initial 1290 records were identified. After application of inclusion and exclusion criteria, 70 remained measuring depressive symptoms (n = 68), self-harm (n = 3) and suicidal ideation (n = 3). The main measures assessing social rank were the social comparison scale (SCS; n = 32) and subjective social status (SSS, n = 32), with six additional papers including another measure of social rank. In univariate analyses, as perceptions of social rank decreased, depressive symptoms (and suicidal ideation/self-harm) increased. Multivariate analyses indicated that social rank may act as a psychosocial mechanism to explain the relationship between social factors (in particular socio-economic status) and depressive symptoms. Additionally, psychological variables, such as rumination or self-esteem, may mediate or moderate the relationship between social rank and depressive or suicidal symptoms.

LIMITATIONS

Study quality was variable and 89% of studies were cross-sectional.

CONCLUSIONS

Although more prospective research is required, this review highlights the importance of understanding an individual's perception of their social position compared to others as it may lead to an enhanced understanding of the aetiology of depressive disorders.

The validity of proxy-based data on loneliness in suicide research: a case-control psychological autopsy study in rural China

BACKGROUND

There is a lack of evidence for the role of loneliness on suicide using psychological autopsy method, and the validity of proxy informants' reports on loneliness is not well established. This study aimed to investigate the validity of proxy respondent reports on loneliness, and the reliability and validity of the University of California Los Angeles Loneliness Scale-6 (ULS-6) as used in psychological autopsy method with rural elderly people in China.

METHODS

Two hundred forty-two suicide cases and 242 normal community controls were selected, and the psychological autopsy method was utilized to collect information. Data from proxy respondents of the living controls were compared with data reported by the targets (gold standards).

RESULTS

Subject-proxy concordance for ULS-6 was fair (ICC = 0.447) in the living controls. The suicide cases were more likely to have a higher score of ULS-6 than the living controls. Additionally, our data supported that ULS-6 had adequate psychometric properties in both suicide and control groups: factor analyses yielded one-factor component solution; Cronbach's alpha (both > 0.90) demonstrated excellent internal consistency; the Spearman correlation analysis indicated that the ULS-6 score was positively correlated with depression; and negatively correlated with QOL and social support.

CONCLUSIONS

Results support proxy-based data on loneliness in research of suicide in older adults in rural China, and the ULS-6 is a psychometrically sound instrument for measuring loneliness in psychological autopsy studies.