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Characteristics of Single vs. Multiple Suicide Attempters Among Adult Population: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

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Abstract

Purpose of Review

We aimed to examine the factors that differentiate single and multiple suicide attempters in adult population. We followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines to conduct this review and meta-analysis. The review protocol was registered in PROSPERO. We carried out a systematic literature search in three databases to identify original studies that explored the differences between single and multiple suicide attempters among adult population.

Recent Findings

There might be meaningful differences between those individuals that attempt suicide once in their lifespan and those who make multiple attempts in terms of sociodemographic and clinical characteristics. There are no previous meta-analysis addressing this topic in the adult population.

Summary

A total of 75 studies were included in the review and 69 were included in the meta-analysis. Multiple attempters were more likely to present certain disorders such as mood and psychotic disorders, as well as personality or substance use disorders. Higher suicide ideation and suicide intent scores also characterized this group. Childhood trauma experiences, stressful life events, and higher rates of hopelessness were statistically significant in multiple attempters. Identifying the factors predicting multiple suicide attempts helps to delineate a high-risk suicidal profile that should be taken into account in the clinical and suicide prevention scenario.

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Data Availability

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author, SAP, upon reasonable request.

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Funding

This research was supported by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III with the support of the European Regional Development Fund (ISCIII JR22/00011; ISCIII PI20/01555; TED2021-131120B-I00), the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (LSRG-1–005-16) the Madrid Regional Government (AGES-3-CM), and the Fundació La Marató TV3 (202226.31).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry, Hospital Universitario Fundación Jiménez Díaz, Madrid, Spain

    Sofía Abascal-Peiró

  2. Department of Psychology and Sociology, Area of Personality, Assessment and Psychological Treatment, Universidad of Zaragoza, Teruel, Spain

    Adrián Alacreu-Crespo

  3. Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Hospital 12 de Octubre, Madrid, Spain

    Inmaculada Peñuelas-Calvo

  4. Department of Legal Medicine, Psychiatry and Pathology, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain

    Inmaculada Peñuelas-Calvo

  5. Department of Psychiatry, CNRS-INSERM, University of Montpellier, CHU Nîmes & IGF, Montpellier, France

    Jorge López-Castromán

  6. Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Fundación Jiménez Díaz, Madrid, Spain

    Alejandro Porras-Segovia

  7. Division of Psychiatry, Imperial College, London, UK

    Alejandro Porras-Segovia

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  1. Sofía Abascal-Peiró
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  2. Adrián Alacreu-Crespo
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  3. Inmaculada Peñuelas-Calvo
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  4. Jorge López-Castromán
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  5. Alejandro Porras-Segovia
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Correspondence to Sofía Abascal-Peiró.

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Abascal-Peiró, S., Alacreu-Crespo, A., Peñuelas-Calvo, I. et al. Characteristics of Single vs. Multiple Suicide Attempters Among Adult Population: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Curr Psychiatry Rep 25, 769–791 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11920-023-01461-5

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