Handgrip strength is associated with suicidal thoughts in men: Cross-sectional analyses from NHANES

To investigate the association between handgrip strength and suicidal thoughts in a representative sample of the US adult population using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES).

Data from two waves of NHANES (2011-2014) were aggregated. Handgrip strength in kilogram (kg) was defined as the maximum value from the dominant hand. Suicidal thoughts were assessed using one question "Over the last 2 weeks, how often have you been bothered by the following problem: Thoughts that you would be better off dead or of hurting yourself in some way?" and dichotomized to no (not at all) and yes (several days/ more than half the days/ nearly every day). Sex-specific logistic regressions were carried out to analyze associations between handgrip strength and suicidal thoughts.

Data on total of 8903 adults (mean age 47.4 ± 0.4 years) were analyzed. Each 5kg increase in handgrip strength was associated with a 16% reduced odds of having suicidal thoughts (0.84, 95% CI: 0.74-0.95) among the overall male population. These associations were stronger in male aged 20-39 years (0.83, 95% CI: 0.70-0.98), and 40-64 years (0.73, 95% CI: 0.63-0.85). In contrast, no associations were observed in females of all age groups.

Males younger than 65 years old with low handgrip strength are significantly more likely to have suicidal thoughts demonstrating a dose-response relationship. Future research is required to confirm/refute our findings and establish if strength interventions can reduce suicidal thoughts.