TY - JOUR
T1 - Social support as a protective factor in suicide
T2 - Findings from two nationally representative samples
AU - Kleiman, Evan M.
AU - Liu, Richard T.
N1 - Funding Information:
We wish to thank the US National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) for providing the funding for the initial collection of the NCS-R data and the UK Department of Health for funding the initial collection of the APMS data.
PY - 2013/9/5
Y1 - 2013/9/5
N2 - Background: Suicide is a problem of worldwide concern and research on possible protective factors is needed. We explored the role of social support as one such factor. Specifically, we hypothesized that increased social support would be associated with decreased likelihood of a lifetime suicide attempt in two nationally representative samples as well as a high-risk subsample. Methods: We analyzed the relationship between social support and lifetime history of a suicide attempt, controlling for a variety of related psychopathology and demographic variables, in the National Comorbidity Study Replication (NCS-R), a United States sample and the Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Study (APMS), an English sample. Results: Results indicate that social support is associated with decreased likelihood of a lifetime suicide attempt controlling for a variety of related predictors in both the full US sample (OR=0.68, p<.001) and the full English sample (OR=0.93, p<.01). Limitations: The cross-sectional data do not allow true cause and effect analyses. Conclusions: Our findings suggest social support is associated with decreased likelihood of a lifetime suicide attempt. Social support is a highly modifiable factor that can be used to improve existing suicide prevention programs worldwide.
AB - Background: Suicide is a problem of worldwide concern and research on possible protective factors is needed. We explored the role of social support as one such factor. Specifically, we hypothesized that increased social support would be associated with decreased likelihood of a lifetime suicide attempt in two nationally representative samples as well as a high-risk subsample. Methods: We analyzed the relationship between social support and lifetime history of a suicide attempt, controlling for a variety of related psychopathology and demographic variables, in the National Comorbidity Study Replication (NCS-R), a United States sample and the Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Study (APMS), an English sample. Results: Results indicate that social support is associated with decreased likelihood of a lifetime suicide attempt controlling for a variety of related predictors in both the full US sample (OR=0.68, p<.001) and the full English sample (OR=0.93, p<.01). Limitations: The cross-sectional data do not allow true cause and effect analyses. Conclusions: Our findings suggest social support is associated with decreased likelihood of a lifetime suicide attempt. Social support is a highly modifiable factor that can be used to improve existing suicide prevention programs worldwide.
KW - Adult psychiatric morbidity study
KW - Epidemiological study
KW - National comorbidity study
KW - Resiliency
KW - Social support
KW - Suicide
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U2 - 10.1016/j.jad.2013.01.033
DO - 10.1016/j.jad.2013.01.033
M3 - Article
C2 - 23466401
AN - SCOPUS:84882813391
SN - 0165-0327
VL - 150
SP - 540
EP - 545
JO - Journal of Affective Disorders
JF - Journal of Affective Disorders
IS - 2
ER -