Suicide Risk and Personality Traits in Physically and/or Sexually Abused Acute Psychiatric Inpatients: A Preliminary Study

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to analyze hopelessness and the affective temperament profile and MMPI characteristics among suicidal and nonsuicidal psychiatric inpatients with or without childhood physical and sexual abuse. The participants were 62 acute psychiatric inpatients (14 men, 48 women) admitted to the Sant'Andrea Hospital's psychiatric ward in Rome. Participants were administered the Italian versions of the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI), the Italian Temperament Evaluation of Memphis, Pisa, Paris, and San Diego-Autoquestionnaire version (TEMPS-A-Rome), the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2), and the Beck Hopelessness Scale. The suicide risk was evaluated by 6 items of the MMPI-2 assessing suicidal intent. Patients with physical/sexual abuse reported high Hopelessness and differed from nonabused patients on several temperamental and personality traits. Patients who reported bruises or marks caused by physical abuse by family members were 9 times more likely to be at higher risk for suicide; those who reported having been punished with a belt or other hard objects were 20 times more likely to be at higher risk for suicide, and those who reported having been insulted by family members were 6 times more likely to be at higher risk for suicide than patients who denied such abuse experiences. Results suggest that clinicians who identify suicide attempts and suicidal tendencies among patients should routinely be assessed for sexual or physical abuse.

Rethinking pathways to completed suicide by female prisoners

“…The research supports the assertion that, traumatic experience affects the pathway to completed suicide with differing profiles for those who engage in superficial self-harm, near-lethal self-harm, repeated attempted suicide or those who do not engage in these behaviours prior to their death. The data identified only two DSH behaviours linked with trauma experience: repeated suicide attempts were linked with the experience of direct trauma; and Unlike previous studies (Marzano, et al, 2010;Pompili et al, 2009) the likelihood of engaging in near-lethal self-harm was not found to be related to history of trauma. Indeed, those with experience of direct trauma were less likely to engage in SSH prior to completed suicide.…”

“…Indeed, it could be argued that the disproportionate level trauma experience, compared with males, may go some way in explaining the heightened risk in female offenders of enacting suicidal behaviour (Pompili et al, 2009) or near lethal self-harm (Marzano, Hawton, Rivlin & Fazel, 2011). However the relationship is complex within a high-risk female offender population, where trauma exposure and deliberate self-harm is very high, but completed suicide is comparatively low.…”

The influence of childhood abuse, adult stressful life events and temperaments on depressive symptoms in the nonclinical general adult population

“…Pompili et al reported that psychiatric inpatients with a history of childhood abuse showed a higher incidence of the irritable temperament trait than did the non-abused patients (Pompili et al, 2009). …”

Suicide attempts and associated factors in older adults with schizophrenia

“…Traumatic events, especially in early life, have been causally linked to schizophrenia (Read, et al, 2005; Gil, et al, 2009). However, it has not been recognized as a risk factor for suicide in this group, although it has been viewed as a risk factor in the general population (Dube, et al, 2001; Afifi, et al, 2008; Pompili, et al, 2009). Interestingly, we found higher rates of early physical and sexual abuse among persons with prior suicide attempts.…”