Sociodemography, pattern, and response inhibition in suicide survivors: A case-control study

Suicide is a global phenomenon. Psychiatric disorders are estimated to contribute to a large proportion of suicides; however, impulsive suicide is also common. Among the ages of 15-29 years, suicide was the second leading cause of death worldwide and has been hypothesized to have reduced response inhibition and decision-making abilities as contributing factors, which directly relate to impaired executive functioning and suicidal behavior.

This study aimed to study sociodemography, method, and pattern of suicide, and response inhibition in suicide survivors.

A case-control study was designed in a tertiary medical center in Madhya Pradesh using convenient sampling of suicide survivors and controls from the general population over 3 months. Data collection was semi-structured pro forma, and response inhibition was assessed using the Stroop test. Statistical analysis was performed using IBM Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) Windows version 25.0. Independent-samples Student's t-test, Chi-square test, and Mann-Whitney U-test were used for analyzing means of continuous data, nominal data, and ordinal data, respectively. The level of significance was at P < 0.05.

A total of 126 suicide survivors and 99 controls were assessed after the end of the study period. Age (mean age for cases 25.4 ± 9.16; controls 23 ± 7.9), gender (F ~ M), and socioeconomic status were used to match cases and controls. 85.7% of suicide survivors had no history of suicide, but the majority had precipitating factors. Anomic suicide was the most common type, and poisoning was the most common method of suicide. Response inhibition between cases and control was significantly different.

The majority of suicide attempts were impulsive in youth, with no gender discrimination. Response inhibition seemed to play a role in a suicide attempt.