Self-Efficacy as a Suicidal Ideation Predictor: A Population Cohort Study in Rural Japan

Abstract

Background: Self-efficacy has been widely studied in suicide, both in its causality and treatment effects. However, the evidence of causality is still ambiguous and there is a lack of generalizability. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between self-efficacy and suicidal ideation through a population cohort study. Methods: The community-based household survey using a selfadministered questionnaire was conducted in a rural area of Japan, Happo Town, in Akita Prefecture with community residents aged 30 and over at two respective time points by local health volunteers. The baseline survey was conducted in 2010 with a response rate of 88.9% (n = 6044). Among them, 3812 residents met the inclusion criteria for the follow-up survey in 2012 where the response rate was 75.3% (n = 2869). Exposure variables to suicidal ideation included demographic details, depression and self-efficacy. The Institutional Review Board and the Ethics Committee of Akita University approved the study protocol and all subjects signed informed consent. Results: A total number of 2105 participants (76.4%) without suicidal ideation in the baseline study were enrolled into the follow-up study, and 8.2% of them had developed suicidal ideation. These participants with suicidal ideation were significantly less likely to be married/cohabitant; they had worse subjective health, poorer self-perceived economic status, stronger depressive mood, and lower self-efficacy scores. The odds ratio of the self-efficacy scores at follow-up survey for participants who had developed suicidal ideation were about 2 times lower than at baseline (95% confidence interval = 1. 53-3.06). After adjusting for all confounding factors, the association was still significant (OR = 1.66, 95% CI = 1.15-2.42). Conclusion: This result suggests that suicidal ideation may be prevented by increasing self-efficacy. We suggest that self-efficacy can be an effective tool for identifying people with suicidal ideation, and increasing self-efficacy can be strategically beneficial for larger suicide prevention. Y. Kobayashi et al.

The Role of Thwarted Belongingness, Perceived Burdensomeness, Self-Efficacy and Ego Strength in Predicting Suicidal Ideation of Nurses

“…Results of the current study also showed that Suicidal Ideation of nurses had a significant negative correlation with Self-Efficacy and Ego Strength; regarding Self-Efficacy variable, the result was consistent with the findings of Kobayashi et al (2015) [14], Nabavi et al (2017) [35], and Valois et al (2015) [36]. The high level of Self-Efficacy has a positive effect on mental health and its low level negatively affects self-esteem, and also, it is effective on the severity of depression and anxiety; and on the other hand, depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem can increase Suicidal Ideation; therefore, it can be concluded that low levels of Self-Efficacy can increase suicidal thoughts.…”

“…According to this study, although depression is always emphasized as an important part in the underlying structure of Suicidal Ideation and attempt, Suicidal Ideation is much less likely experienced, even at the highest levels of depression, in individuals with high levels of Self-Efficacy [13]. In the study by Kobayashi et al (2015) Self-Efficacy, depression, and demographic factors were reported as predictors of Suicidal Ideation [14]. Ammentorp et al (2007) indicated the effect of training in communication skills on medical nurses' Self-Efficacy [15].…”

SSTR4, childhood adversity, self-efficacy and suicide risk in alcoholics

“…General self-efficacy was referred to as global confidence in one’s coping with novel situations, it warrants dealing with a variety of stressful situations and characterizes one’s social skills [ 28 ]. Our study replicates other research studies that pointed lower general self-efficacy as related with higher risk of suicide ideation, but assess it in patients with AD [ 69 , 70 ].…”

Self-Efficacy as the Mediator of the Relationship between Paternal Approval and Suicidal Ideation among Malaysian Adolescents

“…Other than paternal approval, self-efficacy is another important factor in reducing the risk of developing suicidal ideation. Kobayashi, Fujita, Kaneko, and Motohashi (2015) who conducted a longitudinal study found that the participants developed suicidal ideation due to their lower level of self-efficacy. They concluded that individual with high self-efficacy was two times less likely to have suicide thoughts.…”