Personality traits and suicide attempts with and without psychiatric disorders: analysis of impulsivity and neuroticism

Abstract

BackgroundThere is a critical need for empirical data concerning the association of personality traits and attempted suicide with and without psychiatric disorders in mainland China. The objective of the present study is to provide such data by determining the prevalence of psychiatric disorders and analyzing the levels of impulsivity and neuroticism among people who have attempted suicide, and to examine the association between these personality traits and suicide attempt in people with or without psychiatric disorders.MethodsWe administered self-reported tests and clinical interviews to 196 people who have attempted suicide who were admitted to a hospital emergency room or our psychiatric settings after a suicide attempt.ResultsOne hundred and fifty-six subjects (79.6%) met the criteria for Axis I disorders and eleven (6.6%) met the criteria Axis II personality disorders. Those who have attempted suicide who did not have psychiatric disorders exhibited a greater degree of background characteristics (e.g., high lethality, more interpersonal conflicts and more alcohol use), lower levels of suicidality (suicide risk, depressive symptoms) and differences of personality traits (e.g., more impulsive and less neuroticism) as compared to those who do have psychiatric disorders. Profile differences existed even after control for the stressful life event.ConclusionOur findings suggest that some personality traits differ between people who have attempted suicide depending on whether or not they have psychiatric disorders. Based on these findings, investigating the impact of personality traits on suicidal behavior in therapeutic settings would provide critical data to improve patient treatment and outcomes.

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“…In another study by Soma and Sadhan (2011) indicated that most students had reported 75.5% cases of suicide attempts and at the sometime the prevalence rates were significantly higher in females not living with both parents, not in the Island. Similarly, Bi et al (2017) also reported cases of ideation and Suicide attempts among the patients admitted into the psychiatric hospital in china. Whereas, Swanson and Colman (2011) showed in their finding that parental attempts to suicidal cases had contributed up to 3.5 increases in youth's probability of having suicidal thoughts with a 2.6 increased chance of them attempting suicide.…”

Potential metabolic monitoring indicators of suicide attempts in first episode and drug naive young patients with major depressive disorder: a cross-sectional study

“…Maybe some related personality traits or perceived stress are potential mediators for such link. Firstly, personality traits can affect emotional perception, decision-making, and then behavior [42]. For example, Peters et al reported that impulsivity was associated with suicide attempt [43].…”

Direct and Indirect Effects of Neuroticism on Internet Addiction in College Students: A Structure Equation Modeling Analysis

“…(2016)reported that there was a significant positive correlation between neuroticism and impulsivity, and that both traits were correlated with binge eating. Neuroticism and impulsivity in individuals usually manifest as emotional instability, lack of control, anxiety, depression, binge eating, suicide attempts, and other maladaptive psychological behaviors (Bi et al., 2017; Lee-Winn et al., 2016). Individuals with high neuroticism demonstrate the tendency to show intense emotional responses (Brunault et al., 2018).…”