Suicidal ideation in Chinese patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a controlled study

Frequency and Associated Factors of Suicidal Ideation in Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

We aimed to examine the prevalence of suicidal ideation in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and the association between demographic and clinical variables and the occurrence of suicidal thoughts. This was a cross-sectional study. Sociodemographic and clinical data were recorded, and questionnaires were used to assess depressive symptoms (Beck Depression Inventory), comorbidities (Charlson Index), cognitive performance (Mini Mental State Examination), and quality of life (EuroQoL-5 dimensions and CAT). Specific questions about suicide-related behavior were included. Multivariate logistic regression analysis identified the significant factors associated with previous suicidal ideation and suicide attempts. The analysis included 1190 subjects. The prevalence of suicidal ideation and suicide attempts were 12.1% and 2.5%, respectively. Severely depressed patients had the highest prevalence of suicide-related behavior. The adjusted logistic model identified factors significantly associated with suicidal ideation: sex (odds ratio (OR) for women vs. men = 2.722 (95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.771-4.183)), depression score (OR = 1.163 (95% IC = 1.127-1.200)), and Charlson Index (OR 1.228 (95% IC 1.082-1.394)). Suicidal ideation is common in COPD patients, especially in women. While addressing suicidal ideation and suicide prevention, clinicians should first consider the management of depressive symptomatology and the improvement of coping strategies.

Suicidal ideation among the hypertensive individuals in Shandong, China: a path analysis

BACKGROUND

Although massive studies have explored the risk factors of suicidal ideation (SI), the prevalence of SI and its associated factors in the hypertensive individuals are largely unknown. This study aims to investigate the factors associated with SI in the hypertensive individuals.

METHODS

Three thousand nine hundred eleven hypertensive individuals in Shandong, China were included in the analysis. SI was assessed by using a question from the NCS (National Comorbidity Survey). We used binary logistic regression analysis to explore the factors associated with SI, and path analysis to test the direct and indirect relationships between associated factors and SI among hypertensive patients.

RESULTS

The prevalence of SI in the hypertensive individual was19.6%. Psychological distress had the greatest direct (β = 0.640, p-value <0.01) and total effect (β = 0.640, p-value <0.01) on SI. Other factors including comorbidity (β = 0.090, p-value <0.01), gender (β = 0.088, p-value <0.01), marital status (β = - 0.037, p-value <0.01), economic status (β = - 0.106, p-value <0.01), residence (β = - 0.050, p-value <0.01), alcohol use (β = 0.011, p-value <0.01), exercise (β = - 0.114, p-value <0.01), hospitalization (β = 0.041, p-value <0.01) only had indirect effects on SI. Psychological distress was a mediator between SI and those variables.

CONCLUSION

A significant mediation effect of psychological distress on the associations between SI and some associated factors (i.e., economic status, comorbidity) was demonstrated.