Factors Associated with Suicide Attempts in Female Inmates: The Hegemony of Hopelessness

Abstract

In this study factors associated with past suicide attempts in female inmates were examined. Female inmate participants (N = 105) were given structured diagnostic assessments of antisocial and borderline personality disorders and substance dependence, as well as measures of depression, hopelessness, problem-focused coping styles, and reasons for living. There was a high lifetime prevalence of past suicide attempts (38.1%). Suicide attempts were positively associated with personality disorders, hopelessness, depression, childhood physical/emotional abuse, and family history of suicide and mood disorders, and negatively associated with income, reasons for living, and problem-focused coping. Controlling for hopelessness, borderline personality disorder and family history of suicide attempts were the only variables that remained uniquely associated with suicide attempts.

Examining the relationship between coping strategies and suicidal desire in a sample of United States military personnel

“…As perceived burdensomeness and thwarted belongingness are necessary mental states involved in the development of perceived burdensomeness and thwarted belongingness, this result partially supports findings by Horowitz, Hill, and King [13] that behavioral disengagement is associated with suicide risk. The items comprising the behavioral disengagement subscale (e.g., "I've been giving up trying to deal with it" and "I've been giving up the attempt to cope") raise the possibility that this coping behavior may be a response to feelings of hopelessness, which has been well documented as a predictor of suicidal ideation ( [6,12,33]). However, it should be noted that some subscales demonstrated lower internal consistency than desired.…”

“…Across a broad range of populations, the relationship between coping and suicide has been examined with mixed results [12][13][14][15]. Some coping strategies, such as seeming emotional support and attempting to think about solutions to a specific problem, have been shown to be inversely associated with suicidal ideation and behavior (e.g., [13,14]).…”

Childhood Abuse and Mental Health Problems: Does Gender Matter?

“…In a study conducted with 40 substance-dependent incarcerated women, Peltan and Cellucci [25] found that most of the women also reported some type of childhood abuse. In another study [26], 78 % of the 105 female inmates studied reported childhood physical/emotional abuse, 59 % reported sexual abuse, and 38 % reported neglect. Furthermore, Green et al [27] found childhood trauma and other interpersonal traumas in a sample of female inmates, with 62 % reporting exposure to childhood trauma and 90 % reporting the experience of at least one interpersonal trauma.…”

Características, sintomas depressivos e fatores associados em mulheres encarceradas no Estado do Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil

“…Esse mesmo alto percentual foi encontrado em outro estudo 17 , o qual denota que 61,7% das mulheres reclusas apresentaram depressão ao longo da vida. Já outra pesquisa, em que foi aplicado o BDI II, apontou 18% de prevalência de sintomas depressivos clinicamente significativos e 68,6% apresentando disforia 18 .…”