The relationship between psychological pain and suicidality in patients with major depressive disorder: A meta-analysis

Objective To systematically review the association between psychological pain and suicidality in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD). Method The databases of PubMed, Web of Science and PsycINFO were used to search and articles were screened for inclusion and exclusion criteria until February 2022. Two researchers independently screened the papers, extracted data, and evaluated the risk of bias of the included studies. Comprehensive Meta-Analysis software (CMA) was used for meta-analysis and the combined OR (95 % CI) values were calculated. Results A total of 7 articles were included, with a sample size of 1364. The present study showed that psychological pain was a risk factor for suicidality in patients with MDD (OR = 1.322, 95 % CI:1.165–1.500). After Duval and Tweedie trim and fill to rectify potential publication bias, psychological pain was still a risk factor for suicidality in patients with MDD [OR = 1.196 (95 % CI: 1.030–1.388), P < 0.001]. Subgroup analyses showed that average age ≥ 40 [r = 0.57 (95 % CI: 0.32–0.81), P < 0.001] was moderating variable for psychological pain and suicidality. Conclusions Reducing psychological pain in MDD patients is somewhat important for preventing their suicidality, especially for the patients with advancing age.