title: Higher hopelessness and suicide risk predict lower self-deception among psychiatric patients and non-clinical individuals.
abstract: The present study was designed to explore psychopathological correlates of self-deception in clinical and nonclinical individuals to ascertain whether self-deception was associated with higher hopelessness, a proxy of suicide risk. The patients were 58 consecutive psychiatric patients (30 men, 28 women) admitted to the Sant'Andrea Hospital's psychiatric ward in Rome. Controls were composed of a sample recruited from the general population (62 men and 80 women). All the participants completed the Beck Hopelessness Scale (BHS), and the Balanced Inventory of Desirable Responding-6 Form 40A (BIDR). More than 55% of the patients had BHS scores of 9 or higher indicating severe hopelessness, while only 32% of the control subjects reported scores of 9 or higher on the BHS (p < .01). Subjects with BHS scores of 9 or higher (compared to subjects with lower scores) had lower scores on the self-deceptive enhancement dimension of the BIDR, and were also more likely to be unemployed or retired. Self-deception may be a coping response to stressful live events. Disruption of such coping mechanism may indeed increase suicide risk as individuals do not want to face self-awareness and get close to a highly negative self.
authors: Department of Neuroscience, Mental Health and Sensory Function, Suicide Prevention Center, Sant'Andrea Hospital, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy. maurizio.pompili@uniroma1.it
authors: Maurizio
authors: M
authors: Pompili
authors: Paolo
authors: P
authors: Iliceto
authors: Debora
authors: D
authors: Luciano
authors: Marco
authors: M
authors: Innamorati
authors: Gianluca
authors: G
authors: Serafini
authors: Antonio
authors: A
authors: Del Casale
authors: Roberto
authors: R
authors: Tatarelli
authors: Paolo
authors: P
authors: Girardi
authors: David
authors: D
authors: Lester
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D008192:Deception; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000150:complications*; D011379:Prognosis; D012307:Risk Factors; D012649:Self Concept; D013405:Suicide / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*