IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v19y2022i24p16561-d999016.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Depression and Suicide Ideation among Suicide-Loss Survivors: A Six-Year Longitudinal Study

Author

Listed:
  • Yossi Levi-Belz

    (The Lior Tsfaty Center for Suicide and Mental Pain Studies, Ruppin Academic Center, Emek Hefer 4025000, Israel)

  • Shai Birnbaum

    (The Lior Tsfaty Center for Suicide and Mental Pain Studies, Ruppin Academic Center, Emek Hefer 4025000, Israel
    Clinical Psychology M.A. Program, Ruppin Academic Center, Emek Hefer 4025000, Israel)

Abstract

Suicide is not only a tragic end of life but also may be the beginning of a very challenging life for those left behind. Suicide-loss survivors (SLSs) are individuals who were exposed to the suicide of a close family member or a friend and endure highly emotional distress. The psychological stance and reactions of SLS are deeply colored by painful, intense emotions that are expressed through different psychiatric symptoms, including depression and suicide ideation (SI). The present study investigated the long-term effects of interpersonal factors such as social support, self-disclosure, thwarted belongingness, and perceived burdensomeness on depression and suicidal ideation among SLS. One hundred fifty-two Israeli SLS, aged 20–72, participated in this longitudinal study, during which their suicide ideation and depression levels were assessed at four points over six years (T1-baseline, and two (T2), four (T3), and six (T4) years after baseline). At the last time point, interpersonal factors were also assessed. SLSs’ interpersonal variables significantly predicted depression and SI levels beyond their usual trajectories over the years. Significant correlations were found between both perceived burdensomeness and thwarted belongingness and depression levels at all measurement points. Moreover, thwarted belongingness was found to be a significant moderator of the relationship between former and current depression levels, as the contribution of depression-T3 to depression-T4 was lower among SLSs with low thwarted belongingness (b = 0.14, CI = 0.05–0.34) compared with SLSs with high thwarted belongingness (b = 0.25, CI = 0.22–0.45). These findings emphasize the vital healing role of interpersonal factors such as belongingness, as they may attenuate depression and SI symptoms over time. Hence, clinicians should focus on therapies that boost interpersonal interactions and belongingness, as they seem to be crucial stepping stones on the way to recovery. Moreover, national programs should be implemented to offer SLSs targeted interventions to reduce distress and depression in the aftermath of suicide loss.

Suggested Citation

  • Yossi Levi-Belz & Shai Birnbaum, 2022. "Depression and Suicide Ideation among Suicide-Loss Survivors: A Six-Year Longitudinal Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(24), pages 1-13, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2022:i:24:p:16561-:d:999016
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/24/16561/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/24/16561/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Alan R Teo & HwaJung Choi & Marcia Valenstein, 2013. "Social Relationships and Depression: Ten-Year Follow-Up from a Nationally Representative Study," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 8(4), pages 1-8, April.
    2. Yossi Levi-Belz & Lilac Lev-Ari, 2019. "“Let’s Talk About It”: The Moderating Role of Self-Disclosure on Complicated Grief over Time among Suicide Survivors," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(19), pages 1-13, October.
    3. Yossi Levi-Belz & Tamir Ben-Yaish, 2022. "Prolonged Grief Symptoms among Suicide-Loss Survivors: The Contribution of Intrapersonal and Interpersonal Characteristics," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(17), pages 1-16, August.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Yossi Levi-Belz & Karolina Krysinska & Karl Andriessen, 2023. "What Do We Know about Suicide Bereavement, and What We Can Do to Help Suicide-Loss Survivors?," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(8), pages 1-5, April.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Yossi Levi-Belz & Karolina Krysinska & Karl Andriessen, 2023. "What Do We Know about Suicide Bereavement, and What We Can Do to Help Suicide-Loss Survivors?," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(8), pages 1-5, April.
    2. Hyun Jin Lee & Dong Kun Lee, 2019. "Do Sociodemographic Factors and Urban Green Space Affect Mental Health Outcomes Among the Urban Elderly Population?," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(5), pages 1-13, March.
    3. Evelina Landstedt & Per E. Gustafsson & Klara Johansson & Anne Hammarström, 2016. "Longitudinal associations between social relationships at age 30 and internalising symptoms at age 42: findings from the Northern Swedish Cohort," International Journal of Public Health, Springer;Swiss School of Public Health (SSPH+), vol. 61(1), pages 75-81, January.
    4. Evelina Landstedt & Per Gustafsson & Klara Johansson & Anne Hammarström, 2016. "Longitudinal associations between social relationships at age 30 and internalising symptoms at age 42: findings from the Northern Swedish Cohort," International Journal of Public Health, Springer;Swiss School of Public Health (SSPH+), vol. 61(1), pages 75-81, January.
    5. Min-Ah Lee, 2016. "Social relationships, depressive symptoms and suicidality in Korea: Examining mediating and moderating effects in men and women," International Journal of Social Psychiatry, , vol. 62(1), pages 67-75, February.
    6. Carmen Zürcher & Hannah Tough & Christine Fekete & for the SwiSCI Study Group, 2019. "Mental health in individuals with spinal cord injury: The role of socioeconomic conditions and social relationships," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 14(2), pages 1-20, February.
    7. Corey L. M. Keyes & Malik Muhammad Sohail & Nneka Jebose Molokwu & Heather Parnell & Cyrilla Amanya & Venkata Gopala Krishna Kaza & Yohannes Benyam Saddo & Vanroth Vann & Senti Tzudier & Rae Jean Proe, 2021. "How Would You Describe a Mentally Healthy Person? A Cross-Cultural Qualitative Study of Caregivers of Orphans and Separated Children," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 22(4), pages 1719-1743, April.
    8. Fumi Takeda & Haruko Noguchi & Takafumi Monma & Nanako Tamiya, 2015. "How Possibly Do Leisure and Social Activities Impact Mental Health of Middle-Aged Adults in Japan?: An Evidence from a National Longitudinal Survey," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 10(10), pages 1-10, October.
    9. Kárpáti, Daniel & Renneboog, Luc, 2021. "Corporate Financial Frictions and Employee Mental Health," Discussion Paper 2021-003, Tilburg University, Center for Economic Research.
    10. Benjamin Kaveladze & Allison Diamond Altman & Meike Niederhausen & Jennifer M Loftis & Alan R Teo, 2022. "Social relationship quality, depression and inflammation: A cross-cultural longitudinal study in the United States and Tokyo, Japan," International Journal of Social Psychiatry, , vol. 68(2), pages 253-263, March.
    11. Ibrahim Alananzeh & Heidi Lord & Ritin Fernandez, 2021. "Social Support for Arab People with Chronic Conditions: A Scoping Review," Clinical Nursing Research, , vol. 30(4), pages 380-391, May.
    12. Hyun Jin Lee & Dong Kun Lee & Wonkyong Song, 2019. "Relationships between Social Capital, Social Capital Satisfaction, Self-Esteem, and Depression among Elderly Urban Residents: Analysis of Secondary Survey Data," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(8), pages 1-13, April.
    13. Seongryu Bae & Kenji Harada & Ippei Chiba & Keitaro Makino & Osamu Katayama & Sangyoon Lee & Yohei Shinkai & Hiroyuki Shimada, 2020. "A New Social Network Scale for Detecting Depressive Symptoms in Older Japanese Adults," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(23), pages 1-13, November.
    14. Kyoung-bok Min & Hyun-Jin Kim & Hye-Jin Kim & Jin-young Min, 2017. "Parks and green areas and the risk for depression and suicidal indicators," International Journal of Public Health, Springer;Swiss School of Public Health (SSPH+), vol. 62(6), pages 647-656, July.
    15. Sone, Toshimasa & Nakaya, Naoki & Sugawara, Yumi & Tomata, Yasutake & Watanabe, Takashi & Tsuji, Ichiro, 2016. "Longitudinal association between time-varying social isolation and psychological distress after the Great East Japan Earthquake," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 152(C), pages 96-101.
    16. Lixia Ge & Chun Wei Yap & Reuben Ong & Bee Hoon Heng, 2017. "Social isolation, loneliness and their relationships with depressive symptoms: A population-based study," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 12(8), pages 1-13, August.
    17. Doukyoung Chon & Jong Youn Moon & Jae-Hyun Kim, 2022. "Participating in Different Activities and Their Association with Mental Health Problems in the Working Disabled Population in Korea," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(14), pages 1-8, July.
    18. Ben Y. F. Fong & Martin C. S. Wong & Vincent T. S. Law & Man Fung Lo & Tommy K. C. Ng & Hilary H. L. Yee & Tiffany C. H. Leung & Percy W. T. Ho, 2020. "Relationships between Physical and Social Behavioural Changes and the Mental Status of Homebound Residents in Hong Kong during the COVID-19 Pandemic," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(18), pages 1-18, September.
    19. Yossi Levi-Belz & Tamir Ben-Yaish, 2022. "Prolonged Grief Symptoms among Suicide-Loss Survivors: The Contribution of Intrapersonal and Interpersonal Characteristics," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(17), pages 1-16, August.
    20. Anna Wendołowska & Małgorzata Steć & Dorota Czyżowska, 2022. "Supportive, Delegated, and Common Dyadic Coping Mediates the Association between Adult Attachment Representation and Relationship Satisfaction: A Dyadic Approach," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(13), pages 1-20, June.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2022:i:24:p:16561-:d:999016. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.