Interpersonal relations and suicide ideation in China

This study is an examination of the effects of interpersonal relations on suicide ideation in a national sample of 1,433 individuals from China. The effect of gender as well as Chinese-Western comparisons are also examined. Suicide ideation rates (defined as thinking about committing suicide) and rates for planned suicide were significantly lower than those in most U.S. samples; Chinese women consistently scored higher than men in both areas. LISREL path analyses indicated that interpersonal conflict had the greatest direct and total effect on suicide ideation, and social isolation was the weakest predictor among the three measures of interpersonal relations. A path model using the Chinese data calls into question Durkheim's social integration theory for predicting suicide. Findings are discussed in relation to Chinese culture.