Suicide and coping: specific coping behaviours associated with suicidal ideation and differences between predicted and actual coping among help-seeking individuals

Abstract

Suicide is a substantial contributor to global mortality, with suicidal ideation (SI) a significant predictor of suicide. Research has demonstrated relationships between dispositional coping styles and SI. This study aimed to advance this research by moving from the disposition coping level to examining the specific coping strategies people use when experiencing SI. Further, it aimed to examine whether prediction of the coping strategies individuals would use if they experienced SI differs from the actual coping strategies employed by people that have experienced SI. Seventy-seven help-seeking adults (Mage = 31.6, SD = 10.4) with (n = 49) or without (n = 28) history of SI completed measures of SI-related coping (modified Brief COPE) and current emotional distress (DASS-21) via online survey. ANCOVA revealed a significant association between SI history status and endorsement of Problem-Focused coping strategies, while controlling for current emotional distress levels. Participants without SI history reported greater predicted Problem-Focused coping use than actual use reported by participants with SI history. Subsequent facet-level ANCOVAs demonstrated that participants without SI history predicted they would use Active Coping, Use of Informational Support, and Planning strategies to a greater extent than was reported by people who did experience SI. The findings suggest individuals without SI history may overestimate their ability to use such adaptive coping strategies, and may represent an overestimation of overall ability to cope with potential SI. Future research may build on these preliminary findings and examine the factors explaining these differences to help inform programs related to SI and coping.