Social support did not differ significantly between suicidal & nonsuicidal male psychiatric inpatients, suggesting that it is not useful as a sole predictor of suicidal behaviour. Compared to a normative group, the social support of psychiatric subjects was considerably impoverished, a finding that directs nursing intervention toward bolstering social support systems of psychiatric patients. More suicidal than nonsuicidal subjects reported inactivity in religion. (21 refs.) (KM)