Strain and Suicide:an Analysis of 155 Suicide Cases
10.3969/j.issn.1000-6729.2009.11.007
- VernacularTitle:压力不协调与自杀:从155个案例看扭力体验
- Author:
Jie ZHANG
;
Yong TANG
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
suicide;
strain;
dissonant stress;
crisis coping;
conflict
- From:
Chinese Mental Health Journal
2009;23(11):784-789
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
Objective:To explore the strain experiences by suicides and to test the strain theory of suicide.Methods：A consecutive sample of 155 suicides(91 males and 64 females)aged from 15 to 34 years was studied with the psychological autopsy method.Informants consisted of family members and close friends of the suicides.Suicide stories were composed based on the background information of the suicides and what happened at the suicide site and then content-analyzed and rated by independent judges.Results:All of the victims had experienced at least one type of strain before suicide took place.The sequence of the 4 types of strains beginning with the most frequent one was coping strain,100%;aspiration strain,81%,deprivation strain,72% and value strain,45%.Generally,males experienced more coping strains,especially loss of money or investment than females [(8.85±3.64)vs.(7.72±3.77),(0.35±0.92)vs.(0.09±0.52);Ps<0.05],except for the traditionalism and modernity for status of women,religion and atheism [(0.08±0.37)vs.(0.53±0.97),(0.00±0.00)vs.(0.06±0.30);Ps<0.05].As age increased,value strain tended to increase(r= 0.16,P=0.048),whereas aspiration strain tended to decrease(r= -0.30,P<0.001).Conclusion：With the prevalence of dissonant stresses among suicide victims,it is suggested that crisis intervention and suicide prevention should begin with strain reduction through psychological counseling and therapy.
