Coping strategies used by suicide attempters and comparison groups

Charlotta Sunnqvist, Lil Träskman-Bendz, Åsa Westrin

Department of Care Science Malm?, Faculty for Health and Society, Malm? University, Malm?, Sweden.
Department of Clinical Sciences, Psychiatry, Lund University Hospital, Lund, Sweden.

DOI: 10.4236/ojpsych.2013.32024                

Abstract

A variety of factors have been identified as being risk factors for suicidal behaviour. One of them is the handling of stressful events. The aim of the present study was to investigate the coping-strategies used by suicide attempters and comparison groups. 37 patients who had recently made a suicide attempt, 38 suicide attempters at follow up, 20 psychiatric follow up controls, and 19 healthy controls filled in the COPE. We found that suicide attempters at long term follow up and healthy controls used more adaptive problem solving strategies than patients who had recently made a suicide attempt, or psychiatric controls at follow up, who used more maladaptive coping strategies. Our findings suggest that suicide attempters in a twelve year follow up are able to use coping strategies similarly to healthy controls by e.g. approaching the stressor actively. Further examinations of the impact of long term professional care and treatment of suicide attempters on their coping strategies are necessary.

Keywords

Suicide-Attempt; Stressful Situations; COPE; Adaptive and Maladaptive Coping Strategies

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

References

[1]	Folkman, S., Lazarus, R.S., Gruen, R.J. and Delongis, A. (1986) Appraisal, coping, health status and psychological symptoms. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 50, 571-579. doi:10.1037/0022-3514. 50.3.571
[2]	Evans, J., Williams, J.M., O’Loughlin, S. and Howells, K. (1992) Autobiographical memory and problem-solving strategies of parasuicide patients. Psychological Medicine, 22, 399-405. doi:10.1017/S003 3291700030348
[3]	Edwards, M.J. and Holden, R.R. (2001) Coping, meaning in life, and suicidal manifestations: Examining gender differences. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 57, 1517-1534.
[4]	Dieserud, G., Roysamb, E., Ekeberg, O. and Kraft, P. (2001) Toward an integrative model of suicide attempt: A cognitive psychological approach. Suicide Life Threat Behave Summer, 31, 153-168.
[5]	Carver, S., Scheier, M. and Weintraub, J. (1989) Assessing coping strategies: A theoretically based approach. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 56, 267-283. doi:10.1037/002 2-3514.56.2.267
[6]	Taylor, S.E. and Stanton, A.L. (2007) Coping resources, coping process, and mental health. Clinical Psychology, 3, 377-401. doi:10.1146/annurev.clinpsy.3.022806.091520
[7]	Sunnqvist, C., Persson, U., Westrin., A., TraskmanBendz, L. and Lenntorp, B. (2012) Grasping the dynamoics of suicidal behaviour: Combining time-geographic life charting and COPE ratings. Journal of Psychiatric Mental Health and Nursing, 20, 336-344. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2850.2012.01928.x
[8]	Becker-Weidman, E.G., Jacobs, R.H., Reinecke, M.A., Silva, S.G. and March, J.S. (2010) Social problem-solving among adolescents treated for depression. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 1, 11-18. doi:10.1016/j.brat.2009.08.006
[9]	Schotte, D.E. and Clum, G.A. (1982) Suicide ideation in a college population. A test of a model. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 50, 690-696. doi:10.1037/0022-006X.50.5.690
[10]	Linehan, M.M., Camper, P., Chiles, J.A., Strohsahl, K. and Shearin, E. (1987) Interpersonal problem solving and parasuicide. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 11, 1-12. doi:10.1007/BF01183128
[11]	Orbach, I., Bar-Joseph, H. and Dror, N. (1990) Styles of problem solving in suicidal individuals. Suicide and Life Threatening Behaviour, 20, 56-64.
[12]	Williams, F. and Hasking, P. (2010) Emotion regulation, coping and alcohol use as moderators in the relationship between non-suicidal self-injury and psychological distress. Prevention Sciences, 11, 33-41. doi:10.1007/s11121-009-0147-8
[13]	Marty, M.A., Segal, D.L. and Coolidge, F.L. (2010) Relationships among dispositional coping strategies, suicidal ideation, and protective factors against suicide in older adults. Aging & Mental Health, 8, 1015-1023. doi:10.1080/13607863.2010.501068
[14]	American Psychiatric Association (1987) Diagnostic and statistic manual of mental disorders. 3rd Edition, APA, Washington.
[15]	First, M.B., Gibbon, M., Spitzer, R.L., Williams, J.B.W. and Benjamin, L.S. (1997) Structured clinical interview for DSM IV axis I and II disorders. APA, Washington.
[16]	American Psychiatric Association (1994) Diagnostic and statistic manual of mental disorders. 4th Edition, APA, Washington.
[17]	Beck, A.T., Davis, J.H., Frederick, C.J., Perlin, S., Pokorny, A.D., Schulman, R.E., Seiden, R.H. and Wittlin, B.J. (1972) Classification and nomenclature. In: Resnik, H.L.P. and Hathorne, B.C., Eds., Suicide Prevention in the Seventies, Government Printing Office, Washington, 7-12.
[18]	Nrugham, L., Holen, A. and Sund, A.M. (2012) Suicide attempters and repeaters: Depression and coping: A prospective study of early adolescents followed up as young adults. The Journal of Nervous and Mental Diseases, 200, 197-203. doi:10.1097/NMD.0b013e318247c914
[19]	Pollock, L.R. and Williams, J.M. (2004) Problem-solving in suicide attempters. A brief communication. Psychological Medicine, 34, 163-167. doi:10.1017/S0033291703008092
[20]	Josepho, S.A. and Plutchik, R. (1994) Stress, coping, and suicide risk in psychiatric in patients. Suicide and LifeThreatening Behaviour, 24, 48-57.
[21]	Marusic, A. and Goodwin, R.D. (2006) Suicidal and deliberate self-harm ideation among patients with physical illness: The role of coping style. Suicide and LifeThreatening Behaviour, 36, 323-328. doi:10.1521/suli.2006.36.3.323
[22]	Brown, S.A. and Williams, K. (2007) Past and recent deliberate self-harm: Emotion and coping strategy differences. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 63, 791-803. doi:10.1002/jclp.20380
[23]	Horesh, N., Rolnick, T., Iancu, P., Dannon, E., Lepkifker, E., Apter, A. and Kotler, M. (1996) Coping styles and suicide risk. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 93, 489-493. doi:10.1111/j.1600- 0447.1996.tb10682.x
[24]	Kelly, M.A., Sereika, S.M., Battista, D.R. and Brown, C. (2007) The relationship between beliefs about depression and coping strategies: Gender differences. British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 46, 315-332. doi:10.1348/014466506X173070
[25]	Brauns, M.L. and Berzewski, H. (1988) Follow up study of patients with attempted suicide. The International Journal of Social Psychiatry, 34, 285-291. doi:10.1177/002076408803400406
[26]	Milne, D. and Nertherwood, P. (1997) Seeking social support: An observational, illustrative and instrumental analysis. Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy, 25, 173-185. doi:10.1017/S1352 465800018373
[27]	McAuliffe, C., Keeley, H.S. and Corcoran, P. (2002) Problem solving and repetition of Parasuicide. Behvioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy, 30, 385-397. doi:10.1017/S1352465802004010
[28]	Hawton, K. and Van Heeringen, K. (2002) The international handbook of suicide and attempted suicide. John Wiley & Sons, Chichester.
[29]	Cannon, B., Mulroy, R., Otto, M.W., Rosenbaum, J.F., Fava, M. and Nierenberg, A.A. (1999) Dysfunctional attitudes and poor problem solving skills predict hopelessness in major depression. A brief report. Journal of Affective Disorders, 55, 45-49. doi:10.1016/S0165-0327(98)00123-2
[30]	Elliot, J.L. and Frude, N. (2001) Stress, coping styles, and hopelessness in self-poisoners. Crisis, 22, 20-26. doi:10.1027//0227-5910.22.1.20