Resilience and suicidality in the Taiwanese general public: a population-based study

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry and Mental Health
• Public Health Research
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Protective factors against suicidal risk require further investigation.
• Resilience is increasingly recognized for its association with psychological distress.
• The interplay between psychosocial factors, resilience, and suicidality in the general population remains underexplored.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between psychological distress, suicide risks, and resilience.
• To explore the associations between resilience, psychological distress, and suicide-related features in a representative Taiwanese population.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional, population-based survey was conducted in Taiwan in 2017.
• Data collected included demographics, self-rated health, psychological distress (Brief Symptom Rating Scale, Concise Mental Health Checklist), resilience (Brief Resilient Coping Scale), and suicide ideation/attempt.
• Linear regression analyses were used to identify predictors of overall suicide risk.

Main Results:

• A total of 2098 participants were enrolled; average resilience was 16.75, higher for married and white-collar individuals.
• Resilience positively correlated with self-efficacy, self-rated mental health, and self-rated physical health.
• Resilience negatively correlated with psychological distress and overall suicidality; predictors of suicide risk included age, gender, employment, marital status, physical health, self-efficacy, and resilience, explaining 16.8% of variance.

Conclusions:

• Self-rated physical health, self-efficacy, and resilience are significantly associated with overall suicide risk.
• Resilience demonstrates a modest independent effect on suicide risk, alongside other psychological constructs.
• Perceptions of physical health and self-efficacy are potential targets for suicide prevention, with resilience-building strategies offering supportive roles.