Socio-psychological features of self-harming and suicidal behavior

Abstract

Currently, it is customary to distinguish between self-harm and suicidal behavior, but studies devoted to this topic are rare.

Materials and methods. The study involved 252 people divided into three groups:

– first group (100 people) – persons who have committed suicide attempts using various methods of self-harm;

– second group (72 people) – persons who made a true suicide attempt using highly lethal methods of self-harm;

– third group (the comparison group, 80 people) – persons undergoing inpatient treatment with a diagnosis of «adjustment disorder», who have not made suicidal attempts.

Results. The first and the second groups did not differ significantly from each other in the prevalence of mental disorders. The most pronounced level of depression (25,2 points) and motivation to commit suicide was noted in the second groups, the least pronounced depressive symptoms in the first group, the severity of motivation to commit suicide in the third group. The study groups did not differ significantly in the severity of psychosocial stress. It was noted that males aged 45–60 years from suicide risk groups (first group – p ≤ 0,001; second group — p = 0,030) were significantly more likely to live alone (p = 0,034). In the second group, compared to the third group, the proportion of people raised in single-parent families is significantly higher (p ≤ 0,05). In the first and the second groups, persons with a phlegmatic type of temperament predominated (p ≤ 0,001), however, they significantly differed from each other in the character trait «stuck».

Conclusions. The first and the second groups differed significantly from each other not only in the methods of self-harm, but also in the severity of motivation to commit suicide, depressive symptoms and the character trait «'stuck».