J Korean Med Sci.  2015 Jul;30(7):974-978. 10.3346/jkms.2015.30.7.974.

Comparison of Families with and without a Suicide Prevention Plan Following a Suicidal Attempt by a Family Member

• Cho HD
• Kim NY
• Gil HW
• Jeong DS
• Hong SY

• KMID: 2164485
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3346/jkms.2015.30.7.974

Abstract

The frequency and extent of the existence of a familial suicide prevention plan may differ across cultures. The aim of this work was, therefore, to determine how common it was for families to develop a suicide prevention plan and to compare the main measures used by families with and without such a plan, after an attempt to commit suicide was made by a member of a family living in a rural area of Korea. On the basis of the presence or absence of a familial suicide prevention plan, we compared 50 recruited families that were divided into 2 groups, with Group A (31 families) employing a familial suicide prevention plan after a suicide attempt by a family member, and Group B (19 families) not doing so. The strategy that was employed most frequently to prevent a reoccurrence among both populations was promoting communication among family members, followed by seeking psychological counseling and/or psychiatric treatment. Contrary to our expectation, the economic burden from medical treatment after a suicide attempt did not influence the establishment of a familial suicide prevention plan. It is a pressing social issue that 38% (19 of 50) of families in this study did not employ a familial suicide prevention plan, even after a family member had attempted suicide. Regional suicide prevention centers and/or health authorities should pay particular attention to these patients and their families.

Keyword

Suicide; Suicide, Attempted, Family; Suicide Prevention; Suicide Prevention Plan

MeSH Terms

Family
Female
Hospitalization/*economics
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Patient Care Planning/*statistics & numerical data
Republic of Korea
Risk Factors
Suicide, Attempted/*prevention & control
Surveys and Questionnaires

Figure

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  Fig. 1 Change in the relationships among family members after the patient's suicide attempt. Note that the relationships among families improved in Group A, while they deteriorated in Group B, P=0.007.

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  Fig. 2 Proportion of families that were aware of a lack of familial preventative action. The proportion of families that were aware of the lack of preventative action was greater in Group A (24 out of 31) than in Group B (8 of 19), P=0.013.

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  Fig. 3 The person who paid the hospital expenses. In Group A, the parents and/or children were most often responsible for bearing the patient's medical costs, while in Group B, it was often the patients themselves or their spouses (P<0.016).

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