Tag: Relatives

Risk for suicide attempt in the offspring of parents with suicide attempt.

In this study we use data from Danish, nationwide registers to investigate risk of suicide attempt in individuals whose parents have attempted suicide. Results show that parental suicide attempt is associated with a 3-fold increased risk of suicide attempt in the offspring. Risks are highest if the parent attempted suicide during early childhood of the offspring. Risks were slightly higher for children of mothers than fathers with suicide attempt. Suicide attempt in a stepparent was associated with a 1,7 fold risk of suicide attempt in the stepchild. Analyses are adjusted for important socioeconomic confounders.

DRISP: Anne Ranning, Annette Erlangsen, Trine Madsen, Merete Nordentoft

Partners:

  • Center for Register-based Research

iCare: Psychoeducation for parents of children with suicide attempt

Each year, there are approximately 11,000 suicide attempts in Denmark, mainly among young people under the age of 25. Clinicians who provide support to young people after suicide attempt are often consulted by the young person’s parents who are keen to support their child. To provide better information to parents, DRISP has developed a website for this target group and in collaboration with parents with lived experiences. This website is now testing to determine whether parents find it useful. In connection with the project, several qualitative studies have been conducted, which are described here below.

Study 1: Existing evidence regarding the experiences of relatives caring for people with suicide attempts was reviewed. A total of 12 studies on the subject were included and a meta-ethnographic synthesis was conducted. The results showed that relatives of people with suicide attempts often pass through four unique phases, which each represent different perspectives and emotions. It was also found that interaction with other relatives who experienced comparable challenges made it easier for relatives to pass through these phases and helped them to find themselves in new and challenging situations.

The study can be found here:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0020748920302790

Study 2: Interviews were conducted with 21 Danish parents of children with suicidal behavior. The results of the study showed that parents’ perceived that their identity was affected by their children’s suicidal acts. The perceived identity of the parents passed through up to three interrelated phases. Each phase reflected a different perspective of their identity and was developed in social interaction with other people. It was also found that not all parents were able to re-establish their parenting agency.

This study can be found here: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S002074892030279

DRISP: Jette Louise Skovgaard Larsen, Anette Juel Kynde, Britt Morthorst, Annette Erlangsen


Partners

  • Elene Fleischer, PhD Netværk for selvmordsramte (www.nefos.dk)
  • Niels Buus, Mental Health Nursing, Sydney Nursing School, University of Sydney
  • Jan-Henrik Winsløw, Enhed for Selvmordsforebyggelse, Region Nordjylland
  • Prof Keith Hawton, Centre for Suicide Research, University of Oxford

Relative affected by suicidal behaviour in Denmark

International research has demonstrate that a substantially share of the population have experienced to lose a next of kin to suicide. This study examines how many Danes have been affected by a suicide attempt. The aim of this on-going study is the assess how large a share of the Danish population have been affected by suicidal behaviour. The project has received support from the Partnership for Suicide Prevention, Danish Health Authority.

DRISP: Trine Madsen, Anne Ranning, Annette Erlangsen


Partners

  • Karine Hvidkjaer, medicinstuderende ved Københavns Universitet
  • Elene Fleischer, PhD Netværk for selvmordsramte (www.nefos.dk)
  • Jens Peter Eckardt,chefanalytiker, Bedre Psykiatri

Bereaved by suicide: psychological mechanism

Losing a loved one to suicide can be a traumatic and stressful experience, and studies show that bereaved by suicide themselves have an increased risk of stress-related illnesses and suicidal behavior. To determine the burden related to being bereaved, Annette Erlangsen at DRISP is involved in an international research project with researchers from University College London.

The study examined register data on 32,248 individuals living in Denmark who died by suicide in Denmark between 1980 and 2016, as well as identifying their relatives in the form of parents, children, siblings, and partners.

Having lost a loved one to suicide was associated with a 2.8 times higher risk of suicide compared to people who had not lost a loved one. The study also showed that 0.69% of all suicides in Denmark could be prevented if all factors that increase the risk of suicide among relatives of people who have died by suicide could be addressed. This corresponds to 60% of suicides among bereaved by suicide.

Bereaved by suicide have an increased risk of developing suicidal behavior themselves, and, although these suicides only account for a relatively small proportion of the total number of suicides, it is important to provide support to this group.

The project has received funding from the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. You can find the study here: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/acps.13493



DRISP: Annette Erlangsen

Partner:

  • Dr Alexandra Pitman, Senior Clinical Lecturer, UCL Division of Psychiatry (projektansvarlig)
  • Dr Gemma Lewis, Research Associate in Psychiatric Epidemiology, UCL Division of Psychiatry
  • Professor Julie Cerel, Professor, College of Social Work, University of Kentucky


Joinpoint regression analysis of suicides in Denmark during 1980-2015

Is the suicide rate in Denmark increasing or decreasing? Effective suicide prevention requires vigilant monitoring of suicide trends. The aim of this study was to assess the change in the Danish suicide rate over time using joinpoint regression analysis. The suicide rate fell sharply between 1980 and 1999 in Denmark, but since then the decrease has been modest, especially since 2007. Further reduction in the suicide rate requires new and effective measures. The study is published in Danish Medical Bulletin

DRISP: Susanne Dyvesether, Annette Erlangsen & Merete Nordentoft


Partners:

  • Julie L Forman, Section of Biostatistics, Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark

Association Between Spousal Suicide and Mental, Physical, and Social Health Outcomes

In this nationwide cohort study, an increased risk of mental and physical disorders, mortality, and adverse social events were noted among people bereaved by spousal suicide. Bereavement by suicide differed from bereavement by other manners of death. Surviving partners are affected on a broad range of mental, physical, and social health outcomes, suggesting a need for more proactive outreach. The findings have been published in JAMA Psychiatry.
The project was supported by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and the Danish Health Insurance Foundation.

DRISP: Annette Erlangsen og Merete Nordentoft

Partner:

  • Bo Runeson, Centre for Psychiatry Research, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
  • James M. Bolton, Department of Psychiatry, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
  • Holly C. Wilcox, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
  • Julie L Forman, Section of Biostatistics, Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
  • Jesper Krogh, Research Unit, Mental Health Centre Copenhagen, Denmark
  • Katherine Shear, Columbia School of Social Work, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, New York
  • Yeates Conwell, Center for the Study and Prevention of Suicide, Department of Psychiatry, and Office for Aging, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, New York