Understanding Intentions to Disclose Suicidal Thoughts and Intent

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Social Psychology
• Public Health

Background:

• Nondisclosure of suicidal thoughts is a significant barrier to suicide prevention.
• Predictors of suicide disclosure remain unclear, particularly the role of depression and social network characteristics.
• Existing research often overlooks the structural, quality, and functional aspects of social networks in relation to disclosure.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate whether social network characteristics predict the likelihood of individuals disclosing suicidal thoughts and intent.
• To examine the influence of relationship features, perceived benefits, and risks on suicide disclosure.
• To understand how depression severity moderates the relationship between social support and disclosure likelihood.

Main Methods:

• An egocentric social network measure was administered to 87 adults experiencing suicidal ideation or other psychological symptoms.
• Participants reported on relationship features, likelihood of disclosure, and perceived benefits/risks for each network member.
• Statistical analyses, including generalized estimating equations and Spearman's correlations, assessed associations between network characteristics, depression, and disclosure likelihood.

Main Results:

• Higher levels of relationship closeness and emotional support were associated with a greater likelihood of disclosing suicidal thoughts and intent.
• Network size did not predict disclosure likelihood.
• Depression severity negatively correlated with disclosure likelihood and attenuated the positive effect of emotional support.

Conclusions:

• Social network quality and functional aspects are crucial for understanding suicide disclosure, potentially more so than structural factors.
• Depression severity can diminish the protective effect of emotional support on disclosure.
• Enhancing the perceived benefits of disclosure may represent a novel suicide prevention strategy.