Grit as a Protective Predictor of Suicidality Among Patients With Breast Cancer

Evidence continues to accumulate indicating that grit could be a protective factor against suicidality. This study examined, over 6 months, whether each aspect of grit-consistency of interests and perseverance of effort-could be a protective predictor of suicidality in breast cancer patients and identified risk predictors for suicidality among them in a psycho-oncology clinic in a general hospital.

Three linear multivariable regression models of suicidality, evaluated at the baseline, at the 3-month, and 6-month time points each, as an outcome, were fitted with the potential predictor at baseline-grit aspects-and all other significant explanatory variables from each univariable model. Each multivariable model was adjusted for age and time passed since index cancer diagnosis.

Of 154 patients with complete baseline data, 88 and 63 completed the 3-month and 6-month evaluations, respectively. Consistency of interests decreased suicidality at the 6-month time point. The degree of depressive symptoms and the intensity of present pain increased suicidality at the baseline and 6-month time point and at the baseline and 3-month time point, respectively.

These results show that consistency of interests can be a novel protective predictor of suicidality. In addition, the intensity of current pain and the severity of depressive symptoms were associated with suicidality in the short and long term, respectively. Our findings show that suicidality among patients with breast cancer are influenced by predictors on multiple levels, which appear to change over time.