Related Experiment Videos
Historic and Recent Suicide Risk: Does Causality Orientation Matter?
Summary
This study found that low perceived control, particularly an impersonal causality orientation, is linked to increased suicidal thoughts and behaviors. Motivational beliefs may modestly contribute to suicidal distress.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Mental Health
- Self-Determination Theory
Background:
- Low perceived control over suicidal urges correlates with higher suicide risk.
- Self-Determination Theory posits causality orientations as stable drivers of perceived control.
- Causality orientations include autonomous, control, and impersonal dimensions reflecting perceived agency.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between causality orientations and suicidal thoughts and behaviors (STBs).
- This is the first study to explore these specific links.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from 589 users of a suicide safety planning smartphone app with a history of STBs.
- Assessed causality orientation, past-month suicidal ideation, future suicide intent, and lifetime suicidal behaviors.
- Employed correlational, logistic, and multiple regression analyses.
Main Results:
- Low agency (impersonal orientation) was associated with increased suicidal ideation and intent.
- Autonomous orientation correlated with a higher likelihood of a lifetime suicide plan.
- Combined high impersonal and autonomous orientations linked to greater past-month suicidal ideation and attempts.
Conclusions:
- Causality orientations explain a small portion of the variance in STBs.
- Motivational beliefs related to futility or conflicted agency may subtly influence suicidal distress.
- Further research should explore real-time motivational factors in STBs.
Related Concept Videos
01:29Psychological and Sociocultural Causes of Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia, a complex psychiatric disorder, has been historically misunderstood. Early psychological theories attributed its origins to childhood trauma and unresponsive parenting. However, contemporary research largely rejects these notions, favoring the vulnerability-stress hypothesis. This model proposes that individuals with a genetic predisposition to schizophrenia may develop the disorder following exposure to significant environmental stressors. Notably, studies on high-risk...
01:21Causality in Epidemiology
Causality or causation is a fundamental concept in epidemiology, vital for understanding the relationships between various factors and health outcomes. Despite its importance, there's no single, universally accepted definition of causality within the discipline. Drawing from a systematic review, causality in epidemiology encompasses several definitions, including production, necessary and sufficient, sufficient-component, counterfactual, and probabilistic models. Each has its strengths and...
01:30Criteria for Causality: Bradford Hill Criteria - I
The Bradford Hill criteria are a group of principles that provide a framework to determine a causal relationship between a specific factor and a disease. There are nine criteria that are pivotal in assessing causality in epidemiological studies. Here's a closer look at Strength, Consistency, Specificity, and Temporality criteria with definitions and examples:
01:28Criteria for Causality: Bradford Hill Criteria - II
The Bradford Hill criteria serve as guidelines for establishing causative links in epidemiological research. Beyond Strength, Consistency, Specificity, and Temporality, key criteria also include Biological Gradient, Plausibility, Coherence, Experiment, and Analogy. These principles assist scientists in assessing the likelihood of causation in complex biological contexts. Below is a summary of these concepts:
01:14Fundamental Attribution Error
According to some social psychologists, people tend to overemphasize internal factors as explanations—or attributions—for the behavior of other people. They tend to assume that the behavior of another person is a trait of that person, and to underestimate the power of the situation on the behavior of others. They tend to fail to recognize when the behavior of another is due to situational variables, and thus to the person’s state. This erroneous assumption is called the fundamental attribution...
01:19Personal Choice and Fate Attributions
Some individuals interpret life events as a consequence of their personal choices and actions, while others believe that outcomes are dictated by fate or destiny. This divergence in perspective has been examined in psychological and cross-cultural studies, particularly in relation to religious faith and cultural beliefs about causality.Fate and Personal ResponsibilityPeople who emphasize personal responsibility view events as direct consequences of their decisions. For instance, breaking a leg...