The internal suicide debate hypothesis: exploring the life versus death struggle

Harris, Keith M., McLean, John P., Sheffield, Jeanie, and Jobes, David (2010) The internal suicide debate hypothesis: exploring the life versus death struggle. Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior, 40 (2). pp. 181-192.

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Abstract

Researchers and theorists (e.g., Shneidman, Stengel, Kovacs, and Beck) hyothesized that suicidal people engage in an internal debate, or struggle, over whether to live or die, but few studies have tested its tenability. This study introduces direct assessment of a suicidal debate, revealing new aspects of suicidal ideation. Results, from an online survey (N = 1,016), showed nearly all suicide-risk respondents engaged in the debate. In addition, debate frequency accounted for 54% of the variance in suicidality scores, and showed significant associations with other indicators of suicide risk. Likely factors of the debate, reasons for living and dying, showed significant differences by suicidality, and most suicide-risk participants reported going online for such purposes, demonstrating a behavioral component of the debate.

Item ID: 17294
Item Type: Article (Research - C1)
ISSN: 0363-0234
Date Deposited: 30 May 2011 03:02
FoR Codes: 17 PSYCHOLOGY AND COGNITIVE SCIENCES > 1701 Psychology > 170199 Psychology not elsewhere classified @ 100%
SEO Codes: 97 EXPANDING KNOWLEDGE > 970117 Expanding Knowledge in Psychology and Cognitive Sciences @ 100%
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