Related Experiment Videos
Dependency and suicidality in psychiatric inpatients.
1Department of Psychology, Gettysburg College, PA 17325, USA.
Journal of Clinical Psychology
|April 25, 2000
Summary
Objective dependency, a measure of interpersonal needs, strongly correlates with suicidality in psychiatric patients. This finding holds true for both men and women, regardless of depression levels.
Area of Science:
- Psychiatry
- Psychology
- Clinical Research
Background:
- Interpersonal dependency is a key psychological construct.
- Understanding its relationship with suicidality is crucial for patient care.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between interpersonal dependency and suicidality in psychiatric inpatients.
- To compare objective (self-report) and projective measures of dependency.
Main Methods:
- 152 psychiatric inpatients (91 women, 61 men) completed objective and projective dependency measures.
- Dependency scores were compared with chart-derived suicidality indices (past attempts, physician judgment).
- Statistical controls for depression levels were applied.
Main Results:
- High objective dependency scores correlated significantly with higher suicidality in both genders.
- This association remained significant after controlling for depression.
- Projective dependency scores showed no significant relationship with suicidality.
Conclusions:
- Objective measures of interpersonal dependency are valid indicators of suicidality risk in psychiatric inpatients.
- Self-reported dependency, not projective measures, is clinically relevant for assessing suicide risk.
- Findings highlight the importance of assessing interpersonal needs in suicide prevention strategies.