Cognitive predictors of suicide risk among hospitalized psychiatric patients: a prospective study.
This prospective study examined the utility of several cognitive variables as predictors of suicide risk among 79 hospitalized psychiatric patients. These variables included pessimism (measured by the Hopelessness Scale), perceived and actual problem-solving ability (indexed by the Problem-Solving Inventory and Means-End Problem-Solving test, respectively), and polarized thinking, self-negativity, and construct system constriction and differentiation (derived from a repertory grid). Suicide risk was operationalized in terms of subsequent self-report of suicide ideation and staff records of time spent on suicide precautions. Results indicated that hopelessness, self-negativity, and poor problem-solving performance functioned as reliable predictors of suicide risk, whereas self-evaluated problem-solving ability did not. Interestingly, constriction emerged as a significant inverse predictor across.
John L. McClellan Memorial Veterans Hospital, Little Rock, AR.
S L
SL
Hughes
R A
RA
Neimeyer
D000328:Adult; D003071:Cognition; D003072:Cognition Disorders; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006778:Hospitals, Psychiatric; D006801:Humans; D007297:Inpatients / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010347:Patient Care Planning; D011336:Probability; D011581:Psychological Tests / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012307:Risk Factors; D013405:Suicide / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States; D000092864:Suicide Prevention