American Journal of Epidemiology Vol. 154, No. 2 : 120-127
Copyright © 2001 by The Johns Hopkins University School of Hygiene and Public Health
ORIGINAL CONTRIBUTIONS |
Is Suicide Contagious? A Study of the Relation between Exposure to the Suicidal Behavior of Others and Nearly Lethal Suicide Attempts
1 National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA.
2 Public Health Practice Program Office, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA.
3 Barnes College of Nursing, University of Missouri-St. Louis, St. Louis, MO.
4 Georgia Department of Human Services, Atlanta, GA.
5 Department of Psychiatry, University of Texas Medical School, Houston, TX.
6 University of Texas School of Public Health, Houston, TX.
7 Department of Psychiatry, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX.
This study sought to determine the association between nearly lethal suicide attempts and exposure to the suicidal behavior of parents, relatives, friends, or acquaintances and to accounts of suicide in the media. The authors conducted a population-based case-control study in Houston, Texas, from November 1992 through July 1995. They interviewed 153 victims of attempted suicide aged 13–34 years who had been treated at emergency departments in Houston and a random sample of 513 control subjects. After controlling for potentially confounding variables, the authors found that exposure to the suicidal behavior of a parent (adjusted OR = 1.5; 95% CI: 0.6, 3.6; p = 0.42) or a nonparent relative (adjusted OR = 1.2; 95% CI: 0.7, 2.0; p = 0.55) was not significantly associated with nearly lethal suicide attempts. Both exposure to the suicidal behavior of a friend or acquaintance (adjusted OR = 0.6; 95% CI: 0.4, 1.0; p = 0.05) and exposure to accounts of suicidal behavior in the media (adjusted OR = 0.2; 95% CI: 0.1, 0.3; p = 0.00) were associated with a lower risk of nearly lethal suicide attempts. Exposure to accounts of suicidal behavior in the media and, to a lesser extent, exposure to the suicidal behavior of friends or acquaintances may be protective for nearly lethal suicide attempts, but further research is needed to better understand the mechanisms underlying these findings.
adolescent behavior; adolescent psychology; imitative behavior; psychology; suicide; suicide, attempted
Abbreviations: CES-D, Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression [Scale]; CI, confidence interval; OR, odds ratio; VAST, Veterans Alcoholism Screening Test.
CiteULike 
Connotea 
Del.icio.us What's this?
This article has been cited by other articles:
|
|
 |
|
  M. Crandall Suicide: scientific overview and relevance for trauma care providers Trauma, July 1, 2007; 9(3): 213 - 220. [Abstract] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 M. Gould, P. Jamieson, and D. Romer Media Contagion and Suicide Among the Young American Behavioral Scientist, May 1, 2003; 46(9): 1269 - 1284. [Abstract] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 D. R. Neuspiel Two Studies that Challenge "Conventional Wisdom" AAP Grand Rounds, October 1, 2001; 6(4): 44 - 45. [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|