Effectiveness of aftercare program for suicide ideators: Real-world evidence from National Suicide Surveillance System in Taiwan

Aftercare programs’ effectiveness for suicide ideators has seldom been reported. This study assessed rates and factors related to the recurrence of suicide-related episodes after the index suicidal ideation episode, index cases, and family members receiving aftercare. This is a secondary data analysis of 1787 suicidal ideation episodes from 1557 individuals reported to the National Suicide […]

Family functioning and suicide attempts in Mexican adolescents

Suicide is considered a public health problem that affects families worldwide. Family functioning is the capability of the family system to fulfill needs during the stages of its development. In this study, we focused on evaluating family cohesion and adaptability in a group of adolescents who had attempted suicide and were hospitalized at a hospital […]

The influence of families on LGBTQ youth health: A call to action for innovation in research and intervention development

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, and other sexual and gender minority youth (LGBTQ) experience myriad health inequities relative to their cisgender heterosexual peers. Families have a profound impact on adolescent health, but little is known about this influence on LGBTQ youth specifically. We draw on work presented at a public symposium that aimed to […]

Caring for family members following suicide: Professionals’ experiences of responsibility

Background When a patient commits suicide while hospitalized in the psychiatric ward, the mental healthcare professionals (MHCPs) who have had the patient in their care encounter the family members immediately following the suicide. Professionals who encounter the bereaved in this first critical phase may have a significant impact on the grieving process. By providing ethically […]

The experiences of adults bereaved by the suicide of a close elderly relative: A qualitative pilot study

Suicide in older persons is a serious issue in many countries. The act of intentionally causing one’s own death is often associated with lack of social support, thwarted belongingness, or chronic interpersonal difficulties. Therefore, suicide has a significant interpersonal dimension that can influence those left behind. However, studies that have investigated the impact of older […]

Developing and initially validating the youth mental health literacy scale for ages 11-14

Despite rising rates of youth mental health disorders and suicides, most youth lack access to accurate, non-stigmatized mental health information. Instead, many describe people with mental illness as violent and incompetent. Mental health literacy aligns with resilience theory. It  assumes that youth that have accurate mental health information will have less stigmatized views of mental […]

COVID‑19 lockdown – who cares? The first lockdown from the perspective of relatives of people with severe mental illness

Background Informal care is vital to many people with severe mental illness under normal circumstances. Little is known about how extraordinary circumstances affect relatives with a family member with mental illness. This study investigated the consequences of the first COVID-19 lockdown in Norway from the perspective of relatives of persons with psychotic- and/or bipolar disorders: […]

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health and family situation of clinically referred children and adolescents in Switzerland: Results of a survey among mental health care professionals after 1 year of COVID‑19

The aim of this study was to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental well-being of clinically referred children and adolescents and on their families from the perspective of mental health care professionals in Switzerland during the first year of the pandemic. Psychiatrists and psychologists for children and adolescents participated in an anonymous […]

Family involvement in psychiatric hospitalizations: Associations with discharge planning and prompt follow-up care

Objective: Involving family in the care of inpatients with serious mental illness is known to be beneficial. This study examined frequencies of involvement by family in the care and discharge planning for 179 psychiatric inpatients. Methods: Involvement by family in care and discharge planning was assessed from randomly selected medical records of inpatients with Medicaid and severe […]

Attachment-based family therapy for sexual and gender minority young adults and their nonaccepting parents

This pilot open trial examined the efficacy of attachment-based family therapy (ABFT) for Israeli sexual and gender minority (SGM) young adults and their persistently nonaccepting parents. Thirty families received up to 26 weeks of treatment, with parental rejection, parental acceptance, and young adults’ attachment avoidance and attachment anxiety assessed at baseline, 8, 16, 24, and 36 weeks […]

The impact of family engagement in opioid assisted treatment: Results from a randomised controlled tria

Background: Family interventions in substance use disorders (SUD) treatment is limited despite the evidence for benefits. Providing family interventions is hampered by patient resistance, social stigma, logistics and factors related to the capacity of the treatment programmes. Aims: The purpose of the study was to examine the association between family engagement in treatment, and opioid […]

A population-wide analysis of the familial risk of suicide in Utah, USA

BackgroundThe degree to which suicide risk aggregates in US families is unknown. The authors aimed to determine the familial risk of suicide in Utah, and tested whether familial risk varies based on the characteristics of the suicides and their relatives. MethodsA population-based sample of 12 160 suicides from 1904 to 2014 were identified from the […]

Exposure to suicide in the family and suicidal ideation in Portugal during the Covid-19 pandemic: The mediating role of unbearable psychache

Objectives: This study tested the mediation effects of two facets of psychache – bearable and unbearable – in the relationship between exposure to suicide in the family and suicidal ideation in Portugal during the Covid-19 pandemic. Methods: Two hundred and forty-four adults aged between 19 and 64 participated. Two groups were defined: one exposed to suicide in […]

How to talk to a child about a suicide attempt in your family

If there has been a recent suicide attempt in your family, this may be one of the toughest experiences you and your children may ever face. It is important to take care of yourself, so that you are better able to care for your child. This guide is intended to provide you with some of […]

Predictors of parent behavioral engagement in youth suicide discharge recommendations: Implications for family-centered crisis interventions

The number of youth presenting to Emergency Departments (EDs) with psychiatric chief complaints has almost doubled in the last decade. With pediatric patients, ED brief interventions and discharge recommendations necessitate meaningful parental engagement to optimize youth safety and support. This study examined parent-level factors (stigmatizing attitudes, self-efficacy beliefs, distress symptoms, and illness-related stressors) in relation […]

Caregiving as suicide-prevention: An ecological 20-country study of the association between men’s family carework, unemployment, and suicide

Purpose Suicide rates are generally higher in men than in women. Men’s higher suicide mortality is often attributed to public-life adversities, such as unemployment. Building on the theory that men’s suicide vulnerability is also related to their private-life behaviors, particularly men’s low engagement in family carework, this ecological study explored the association between men’s family […]

Emerging despite the indelible wound: A grounded theory of family transformation following adolescent suicide

Family members of a person who has died by suicide are at an increased risk of experiencing depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, suicide ideation, and suicide. However, despite the experience of losing a family member to suicide, most families continue to function and even live well following this difficult experience. This study sought to understand and […]

A review study of factors influencing suicide among South Asians in the UK

Purpose of the study: A systematic review of studies on factors in the suicide of South Asians in the UK was reviewed to enhance understanding by aggregating those factors contributing to suicide in this diverse group. Methodology: Digital databases PsycArticles, PsycINFO, PubMed, JSTOR, Science Direct, Web of sciences, and Google Scholar, were searched from 1990 […]

Suicide prevention: The role of families and carers

Families and carers can play an important role in helping prevent suicide. Unfortunately, silence and secrecy within the family environment have sometimes prevented family members from intervening to potentially change the course of suicide intent. This article describes a family-oriented assessment process that can facilitate family-involvement in care. Suicide risk assessment requires a skilled interview […]

Family members’ perspectives on family and social support available to suicidal patients, and health systems’ interactions and responses to suicide cases in Alberta: Protocol for a quantitative research study

Background: Suicide is a major cause of preventable death globally and a leading cause of death by injury in Canada. To support people who experience suicidal thoughts and behaviors and to ultimately prevent people from dying by suicide, it is important to understand individual and familial experiences with the health care system. Objective: We present the protocol […]

Compensatory social networking site use, family support, and depression among college freshman: Three-wave panel study

Background: Freshmen were found to use social networking sites (SNS) as a useful medium to effectively adjust to college life, which hints at a tendency to resort to SNS for social compensation. However, the compensatory use of SNS is usually problematic. Objective: This study explores why a subgroup of freshmen developed depressive symptoms while socially […]

Differential impact of child sexual abuse and family history of suicidal behavior in high-risk suicidal patients

The current study aimed to compare suicide-related variables as a function of 1) family history of suicidal behavior and 2) child sexual abuse among patients hospitalized for a suicide attempt or active suicidal ideation. Family history of suicidal behavior and child sexual abuse were examined independently and in combination as a diathesis for a high-risk […]

National suicide management guidelines with family as an interv’ention and suicide mortality rates: A systematic review protocol

Introduction Suicidal behaviour remains a major public health challenge worldwide. Several countries have developed national suicide guidelines aimed at raising awareness of and preventing deaths by suicide. One of the interventions often mentioned in these national guidelines is the involvement of family members as a protective factor in suicide prevention. However, the level or type of […]