Relations of psychological characteristics to suicide behaviour: Results from a large sample of male prisoners

Aim was to investigate psychological characteristics that may predict suicide ideation and behaviour in male prisoners. Sample consisted of 1117 prisoners detained in jails of the District of Abruzzo-Molise in Italy. All underwent psychiatric interviews and comprehensive psychometric assessments related to different psychological characteristics. Principal component analysis of psychometric variables derived four components. Multivariate logistic regression was designed to test them as predictors of suicidal ideation and attempt. Main findings: (1) approximately 40% prisoners reported lifetime suicide ideation and 13% attempted suicide; (2) different psychometric variables tend to associate in male prisoners. Three of them - childhood trauma, emotional lability and substance abuse - seem to increase the risk of suicide ideation and attempt, while sensation seeking behaviour might decrease it; (3) ideators and attempters scored higher on scales measuring aggression, hostility, childhood trauma, depression, psychoticism and neuroticism, when compared to non-ideators and non-attempters; (4) suicide ideators and attempters scored lower on extraversion and resilience scales; and (5) childhood trauma was the strongest positive predictor for suicide ideation and attempt. This is the first report on psychological characteristics in a large sample of prisoners. We believe it might add new value to evidence-based suicide prevention strategies in prisons.