Examining Factors Involved in Suicide Deaths in the National Violent Death Reporting System

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Criminology
• Public Health

Background:

• Suicide remains a significant public health crisis in the United States.
• The Interpersonal Theory of Suicide (ITS) is a leading framework for understanding suicidal ideation and behavior.
• Empirical validation of the ITS in relation to suicide deaths is limited.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the fit of the Interpersonal Theory of Suicide (ITS) to suicide deaths using a national dataset.
• To conduct exploratory analyses to identify alternative theoretical models for suicide deaths.
• To examine psychosocial variables associated with suicide mortality.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from the National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS) including 289,329 individuals who died by suicide or undetermined intent.
• Performed factor analyses to assess the fit of ITS indicators and identify novel theoretical patterns.
• Conducted measurement invariance tests to compare models across different groups.

Main Results:

• The Interpersonal Theory of Suicide (ITS) demonstrated a poor fit with the data for suicide decedents.
• Exploratory factor analyses identified a 2-factor model, comprising justice involvement and substance misuse, as a better fit for the data.
• The 2-factor model's fit varied significantly between suicide decedents and those with deaths of undetermined intent.

Conclusions:

• A distinct subgroup of suicide decedents is characterized by justice system involvement and substance misuse.
• The combination of justice involvement and substance misuse warrants further investigation for its clinical utility in suicide prevention among justice-involved individuals.
• Findings suggest the need for tailored interventions addressing these specific risk factors in vulnerable populations.