Paths of Suicidal Ideation Identification and Suicidal Behavior Intervention: A Qualitative Comparative Analysis of...

Objective: This study examines pathways for suicide ideation identification and suicidal behavior intervention among Chinese young adults. Methods: It used qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) to analyze the cases of 47 Chinese young people (aged 18-28) with suicidal experiences. The outcome variables are suicide ideation identification and suicidal behavior intervention, and condition variables include psychological disorders, suicidal history, suicidal communication, suicidal time, suicidal location, suicidal methods, family support, peer support, and school support. Results: There are two successful identification pathways and five effective intervention pathways, contrasted with four failed identification pathways and one failed intervention pattern. These results reveal that continuous supervision of individuals with psychological disorders and multi-group participation in intervention are important to decrease the suicide risk of Chinese young people. Meanwhile, a lack of proactive identification of individuals without warning signals, insufficient attention from families and communities to young people with psychological disorders, and inadequate physical limitations on fatal suicidal behaviors are major risk factors. Conclusions: This study highlights the measures of strengthening continuous attention to suicide signals among high-risk youth groups, limiting lethal suicide methods, promoting network monitoring and suicide risk warning, increasing psychological services in the community, and improving the collaborative synergy of peers, families, and schools.