Family interaction and suicidal behaviour: a brief review

Abstract

This paper reviews those research studies which have investigated suicidal behaviour in the context of the family. It is proposed that in families a subculture of distress management develops not from random deviations but from familial and cultural expectations of how distress can be managed.A number of factors are presented indicating suicide potential:a pattern of marked hostility, a pattern of rBle disturbance and r d e failure, a process of escalation when developmental crises occur in the management of family life-cycle transitions, a symbiotic attachment between partners which tolerates no autonomy, an intolerance of crisis, a relationship between the management of crises, family conflict and family organization, suicidal behaviour as a pattern of communication.A family tradition of crisis management by symptoms and the presence of intra-familial conflict are seen as critical variables.This paper describes the research that has previously investigated suicidal behaviour in the context of the family. There has been little direct research into the phenomenon compared with the research into problems of mental health and family contexts. However, some modern writers who are concerned with clinical practice have written about the family and postulated how suicidal behaviour occurs. This paper is concerned with presenting both concrete descriptions and hypothetical explanations. The presence of change, conflict and a key person have been considered as important factors in the aetiology of suicidal behaviour(

Observed Interactions in Families of Adolescent Suicide Attempters

“…EMI of parents is not unique to adolescent suicide attempters; however, the level and type of invalidation displayed by attempters may be relatively uncommon. Indeed, suicidal behavior itself can be considered to be a form of emotionally invalidating communication directed at the self (Aldridge, ).…”

“…Theorists and empirical researchers have long emphasized the role of the family in adolescent suicidal behavior. Taking a developmental perspective, many theorists have suggested that suicidal behavior may be especially likely when families are unable to cope constructively with the transitions of adolescence (e.g., Aldridge, 1984;Pfeffer, 1986;Wade, 1987). In this context, suicidal behavior may emerge as a statement of autonomy (Zimmerman, 1991), or a desperate "solution" to seemingly insolvable family problems (Orbach, 1986).…”

Hopelessness, Parent-Adolescent Communication, and Suicidal Ideation among Chinese Adolescents in Hong Kong

“…Moreover, family processes have been regarded as a contributing factor to suicidal ideation. For example, Aldridge (1984) proposed the occurrence of suicidal behavior as a pattern of communication in families that associate change with hostility and conflict. Richman (1986) pointed out that communication disturbances and an excessive secrecy within the family were characteristics of families with members showing suicidal potential.…”

Health Professionals’ Explanations of Suicidal Behaviour: Effects of Professional Group, Theoretical Intervention Model, and Patient Suicide Experience

“…The interpretation of suicidal behaviors has been approached through a wide spectrum of theoretical perspectives, which include authors ranging from pioneer works to current studies. These perspectives comprise sociological theories (e.g., Douglas, 1967; Durkheim, 1897/2005; Halbwachs, 1930/1978; Luo, Florence, Quispe-Agnoli, Ouyang, & Crosby, 2011; Maris, 1981, Maris, Berman, & Silverman, 2000; Pescosolido, 1990; Phillips, 1974; Stack, 2000; Stack & Lester, 1991; Stuckler, Basu, Suhrcke, Coutts, & Mckee 2009; Walsh & Walsh, 2011; Wray, Colen, & Pescosolido, 2011), biological studies (e.g., Arango et al., 2001; Asberg, 1997; Asberg, Träskman, & Thorén, 1976; Roy, Segal, Centerwall, & Robinette, 1991; Van Heeringen, Bijttebier, & Godfrin, 2011), and psychological approaches corresponding to the three main psychological schools—psychodynamic (e.g., Freud, 1917/1957; Hendin, 1991; Menninger 1933, 1938; Zilboorg, 1936, 1937, 1996), cognitive (e.g., Litinsky & Haslam, 1998; MacLeod et al., 2005; Minkoff, Bergman, Beck, & Beck, 1973; Neuringer, 1964, 1974; O’Connor, O’Connor, O’Connor, Pollock & Williams, 2004; Williams, Barnhofer, Crane, & Beck, 2005), and systemic theories (e.g., Aldridge, 1984; Carris, Sheeber, & Howe, 1998; Johnson, Brent, Bridge, & Connolly, 1998; Orbach, 1989; Richman, 1979).…”