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Suicide attempt and suicidal ideation and their associations with demographic and clinical correlates and quality of life in Chinese schizophrenia patients

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Abstract

Objectives

This study aimed to examine the prevalence and correlates of lifetime suicide attempts and current suicidal ideation in community-dwelling schizophrenia patients in China.

Method

A sample of 540 schizophrenia patients was randomly selected in Beijing, China. All subjects were interviewed using standardized assessment instruments and their basic socio-demographic and clinical data including history of suicide attempts were collected.

Results

The prevalence of lifetime suicide attempts and the point prevalence of suicidal ideation were 12.0 %, and 21.1 %, respectively. In multiple logistic regression analyses, the presence of lifetime suicide attempt was independently associated with rural residence, having major medical conditions and better social functioning, while higher likelihood of current suicidal ideation was associated with past suicide attempt, the severity of overall psychopathology and depressive symptoms and lower psychological quality of life (QOL).

Conclusion

Among Chinese outpatients with schizophrenia, increased current symptoms and poorer QOL were correlated with current suicidal ideation, while demographic factors and indicators of greater social support were mostly correlated with lifetime suicide attempts. This study may help to identify important subgroups of patients with schizophrenia at particularly high risk of suicidal behavior.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by grants from the Foundation of Capital Medical Development and Research (No. 2005-1001), the Beijing Bureau of Public Health Funds for Young Scholar (QN2008-003), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 30800367) and the Beijing Nova Program of the Beijing Municipal Science and Technology Commission (No. 2008B59). No investigator benefited from participating in this study. The authors are grateful to the following clinicians involved in the data collection: Xiaomei Wu in Beijing Anding Hospital, Capital Medical University; Huili Xu, Guolan Chen, Jun Song, Meiying Xie and Liang Gao in the Third Hospital of Chaoyang District, Beijing; Guirong Liu and Xinying Wu in the Mental Healthcare Institution of Changping District, Beijing; and Hongmei Zhao, in the Mental Healthcare Institution of Haidian District, Beijing.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Beijing Anding Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China

    Fang Yan & Ye-Zhi Hou

  2. Department of Psychiatry, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Ground Floor, Multicentre, Tai Po Hospital, Tai Po, N.T., Hong Kong, China

    Yu-Tao Xiang, Sandra S. M. Chan, Edwin H. M. Lee & Helen F. K. Chiu

  3. The University of Notre Dame Australia/Marian Centre, Perth, Australia

    Gabor S. Ungvari

  4. New York State Psychiatric Institute, Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA

    Lisa B. Dixon

  5. The Third Hospital of Chaoyang District, Beijing, China

    Weng-Yong Li

  6. Mental Healthcare Institution of Haidian District, Beijing, China

    Wen-Xiu Li

  7. Mental Healthcare Institution of Changping District, Beijing, China

    Yu-Ling Zhu

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  1. Fang Yan
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  2. Yu-Tao Xiang
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  8. Weng-Yong Li
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  9. Wen-Xiu Li
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  10. Yu-Ling Zhu
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  11. Helen F. K. Chiu
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Yu-Tao Xiang.

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F. Yan and Y.-Z. Hou contributed equally to the paper.

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Yan, F., Xiang, YT., Hou, YZ. et al. Suicide attempt and suicidal ideation and their associations with demographic and clinical correlates and quality of life in Chinese schizophrenia patients. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 48, 447–454 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-012-0555-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-012-0555-0

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