Exposure to suicide in the family: Suicide risk and psychache in individuals who have lost a family member by suicide

E-ISSN： 1097-4679|74|3|407-417

ISSN： 0021-9762

Source： JOURNAL OF CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY, Vol.74, Iss.3, 2018-03, pp. : 407-417

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Abstract

ObjectiveThe aim of the present study was to compare a sample of Portuguese individuals exposed to suicide in their families with a control group, for lifetime suicidality. This study also evaluated the incremental value of psychache (i.e., extreme psychological pain) in determining suicide risk beyond the contribution associated with having lost a family member by suicide.

MethodA total of 225 community adults participated. Two groups were defined: a group exposed to suicide (n = 53), and a control group (n = 172).

ResultsResults demonstrated that groups did significantly differ on the total score of the Suicide Behaviors Questionnaire‐Revised (SBQ‐R), on the four individual SBQ‐R items, and on psychache. Results from a hierarchical multiple regression analysis demonstrated that having lost a family member by suicide and the construct of psychache each provided a significant unique contribution to explaining variance in suicide risk. The interaction between group membership and psychache also provided a further enhancement to the statistical prediction of suicide risk.

ConclusionFindings are discussed with regard to their implications for clinical intervention and postvention.