Psychological Tensions Found in Suicide Notes: a Test for the Strain Theory of Suicide

This research has content-analyzed 40 suicide notes (20 by those who died by suicide & 20 by suicide attempters) & found strong support for the strain theory of suicide. Although little difference is found in the number & pattern of strains between the completers & attempters, both groups have many aspirations & coping strains & few value & deprivation strains. Also, the older a suicide victim is, the more he or she feels deprived & lacks coping skills & feels less bothered with value conflicts. Although the study has offered some support for the new theory, future research with more rigorous quantitative data needs to be conducted to further test the theory on a more comprehensive level. (17 refs.)