The social roots of suicide: Theorizing how the external social world matters to suicide and suicide prevention

The past 20 years have seen dramatic rises in suicide rates in the United States and other countries around the world. These trends have been identified as a public health crisis in urgent need of new solutions and have spurred significant research efforts to improve our understanding of suicide and strategies to prevent it. Unfortunately, […]

Thwarted belongingness and perceived burdensomeness explain the associations of COVID-19 social and economic consequences to suicide risk

Objective The social and economic consequences of COVID-19 and related public health interventions aimed at slowing the spread of the virus have been proposed to increase suicide risk. However, no research has examined these relations. This study examined the relations of two COVID-19 consequences (i.e., stay-at-home orders and job loss) to suicide risk through thwarted […]

More frequent negative social exchanges are associated with higher suicide ideation and risk in men service members/veterans

Introduction Suicide is a leading cause of death in military service members/veterans (SM/Vs). Positive social exchanges (e.g., emotional support) buffer against suicide risk but the influence of negative social exchanges (e.g., unwanted advice) is understudied. Method The current study explored (1) the contributions of positive and negative social exchanges as simultaneous correlates of suicide ideation […]

Disconnect to reconnect: Breaking down barriers and enhancing social connections amongst the Indigenous communities & education institutions

Various studies have been conducted in recent years on the social isolation of the general population and marginalized Indigenous communities. Research done by CSCS (2021), indicates that Indigenous  people were just as likely as other populations to be at risk for loneliness, however, lower incomes and mental health disabilities caused greater scores in social isolation. […]

Suicide loss survivors: Navigating social stigma and threats to social bonds

The complicated grief experienced by suicide loss survivors leads to feelings of abandonment, rejection, intense self-blame, and depression. Stigma surrounding suicide further burdens survivors who can experience rejection by their community and social networks. Research in the field of psychology has delved into the grieving process of suicide loss survivors, however the effects of suicide […]

Social media applications: A potential avenue for broadcasting suicide attempts and self-injurious behavior

Social media is a mainstay in American culture, but it’s impact on mental health continues to evolve. Social media has revolutionized the way people share information and communicate. It is particularly popular among adolescents and young adults ages 18-24. There has been increasing concern that the internet and social media may be influencing suicidal behavior and self-harm […]

Talking to strangers: What we should know about the people we don’t know

How did Fidel Castro fool the CIA for a generation? Why did Neville Chamberlain think he could trust Adolf Hitler? Why are campus sexual assaults on the rise? Do television sitcoms teach us something about the way we relate to each other that isn’t true? While tackling these questions, Malcolm Gladwell was not solely writing […]

The coddling of the American mind: How good intentions and bad ideas are setting up a generation for failure

Something has been going wrong on many college campuses in the last few years. Speakers are shouted down. Students and professors say they are walking on eggshells and are afraid to speak honestly. Rates of anxiety, depression, and suicide are rising—on campus as well as nationally. How did this happen? First Amendment expert Greg Lukianoff […]

Rekeying cultural scripts for youth suicide: How social networks facilitate suicide diffusion and suicide clusters following exposure to suicide

Research suggests that suicide can socially diffuse through social relationships and social contexts; however, little is known about the mechanisms that facilitate this diffusion. Using data from an in-depth case study of a cohesive community with an enduring youth suicide problem (N = 118), we examine how, after repeated exposure to suicide, the community’s cultural script […]