Is Violence, Violence no Matter Where it Strikes? Adjudicated Boys, Thwarted Belongingness, Perceived Burdensomeness, and Acquired Capability for Suicide

This study explores treating violence against others as a precursor to self-directed violence. It tests the utility of including violence against others in the measure of acquired capability to test assumptions from the interpersonal theory of violence. Four theoretical hypotheses are assessed that are consistent with the theory: (1) thwarted belongingness (parental abandonment and rejection) and perceived burdensomeness (exposure to parental interpersonal violence and child abuse) independently increase the likelihood of suicidal ideation; (2) the interaction of thwarted belongingness and perceived burdensomeness increases the likelihood of suicidal ideation controlling for other pertinent variables; (3) the three-way interaction of thwarted belongingness, perceived burdensomeness, and acquired capability (violence against others and prior suicidal attempts) increases the likelihood of suicidal attempts controlling for other pertinent variables; and (4) self-harm responds to the theoretical variables and similarly, to attempts. Subjects are court-adjudicated males (ages 13–18) who were residents for up to 1 year at the Ocean Tides School and rehabilitation center from 1975–2019. The data span 44 years and include 2195 youth. Depression, drug/alcohol use, race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and interaction terms between SES and race and SES and ethnicity are also examined. Backward conditional logistic regression analyses find mixed support for the hypotheses, but strong support for including violence against others in the concept of acquired capability. Support is also found for conceptualizing child abuse and exposure to parental interpersonal violence as perceived burdensomeness in tests of this theory as well as measures of depression. Major implications for programming in the treatment and rehabilitation of delinquent boys include conceptualizing and approaching violence against others as a precursor to suicidal attempts and other self-directed harm.

The Interpersonal–Psychological Theory of Suicide in Medical Students: Comparisons of Individuals without Suicidality, Ideators, and Planners

The aim of this study was to explore the interpersonal–psychological theory of suicide (IPTS) in medical students. Higher levels of thwarted belongingness and perceived burdensomeness were expected in medical students with suicidality compared with medical students without suicidality, and a high level of acquired capability was expected in planners compared with ideators. Recruited for the study were 178 undergraduate medical students at the Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB): 95 subjects without suicidality, 24 subjects with lifetime suicidality, 28 subjects with recent suicidal ideation, and 26 planners. An ad hoc questionnaire evaluated the risk of suicide as well as the “Suicidal thoughts and wishes” item of the BDI-II. The Interpersonal Needs Questionnaire (INS) measured thwarted belongingness (TB) and perceived burdensomeness (PB). The Acquired Capability for Suicide Scale (ACSS) measured notably fearlessness of death or pain tolerance and depression was rated using the revised version of the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). Cognitive–affective symptoms of depression (CA-BDI) were assessed using six items of the BDI. Analyses of variance showed significant differences between groups for TB and PB but not for ACSS. Analyses of covariance, controlling for the CA-BDI scores, confirmed the significance of differences in TB and PB. Post hoc tests showed that (1) high levels of TB were characteristic of subjects with recent suicidal ideation and planners compared with subjects without suicidality; and (2) high levels of PB were characteristic of planners compared with the three other groups. Among the three characteristics of the IPTS, PB could be a strong predictor of severe suicide risk in medical students.

HUBUNGAN NONSUICIDAL SELF-INJURY (NSSI) DENGAN ACQUIRED CAPABILITY FOR SUICIDE: STUDI META-ANALISIS

Suicide was the third leading cause of death in adolescents in the world in 2016 with a mortality rate of about 136,000 cases. Reasons teenagers commit suicide include family financial problems, psychological distress, low self-esteem, lack of confidence, and depression. In addition, the difficulty of professional help and social support from the surrounding environment also opens up opportunities for adolescents to commit suicide. Suicidal behavior is often associated with nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI). NSSI is an act of self-injury with no intention to commit suicide, but according to the Interpersonal Theory for Suicide by Joiner (2005), NSSI’s actions are considered to be one of the factors increasing the ability to commit suicide attempts (acquired capability). This study is aimed at exploring the relationship between NSSI and acquired capability for suicide by meta-analysis study. Eight studies from 119 articles involving the term NSSI and acquired capability were studied using the random-effects model. A total of 3398 samples were included in the study. The results showed that the effect size between NSSI and acquired capability was (r = .208), which means that NSSI is positively correlated with acquired capability and has a weak relationship. The results of this study also show that this study has a high heterogeneity value (I2 = 91,48) and there is no publication bias. Bunuh diri adalah penyebab kematian nomor tiga pada remaja di dunia pada tahun 2016 dengan angka kematian sekitar 136.000 kasus. Alasan remaja melakukan bunuh diri antara lain adalah masalah-masalah keuangan keluarga, distres psikologis, rendahnya harga diri, kurang percaya diri, dan depresi. Selain itu, sulitnya pertolongan tenaga profesional dan dukungan sosial dari lingkungan sekitarnya juga membuka peluang para remaja untuk melakukan percobaan bunuh diri. Perilaku bunuh diri sering dihubungkan dengan Nonsuicidal Self-Injury (NSSI). NSSI merupakan tindakan perusakan diri dengan tanpa adanya keinginan untuk bunuh diri, namun menurut teori Interpersonal Theory for Suicide oleh Joiner (2005), tindakan NSSI dianggap menjadi salah satu faktor meningkatnya kemampuan seseorang untuk melakukan percobaan bunuh diri (acquired capability). Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengeksplorasi hubungan antara NSSI dan acquired capability dengan studi meta-analisis. Delapan artikel korelasional dari 119 artikel yang melibatkan istilah NSSI dan acquired capability dipelajari menggunakan random-effect models. Sebanyak 3398 sampel dilibatkan dalam penelitian ini. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan nilai effect size antara NSSI dan acquired capability adalah sebesar (r = .208), yang berarti NSSI berkorelasi positif dengan acquired capability dan memiliki hubungan yang lemah. Hasil penelitian ini juga menunjukkan bahwa studi ini memiliki nilai heterogenitas yang tinggi(I2 = 91,48) dan tidak terdapat bias publikasi.

Comparison of Psychometric Characteristics for Five Versions of the Interpersonal Needs Questionnaire in Teenagers Sample

Interpersonal Needs Questionnaire (INQ) is a self-report measure of perceived burdensomeness and thwarted belongingness with five versions in recent studies. There are five versions of INQ. But results from studies using different versions are quite different. Current suicide behavior among teenagers has attracted much attention. But which version is more suitable for teenage samples is still uncertain. It is important to compare the potential differences in different versions of INQ to identify the most psychometrically available version to predict teenagers' acquired capability for suicide and provide them with timely help to reduce teenagers' suicide rates. This study compared the construct validity, internal consistency, validity, and average test information of each version in the sample of teenagers. Results showed the 10-item version provided the most average test information in both thwarted belongingness subscale and perceived burdensomeness subscale, and the INQ-10 is more suitable for teenage samples.