title: A case-control study of hopelessness and suicidal behavior in the city of Athens, Greece. The role of the financial crisis.
abstract: This study aimed to examine the psychometric properties of Beck Hopelessness Scale (BHS) in Greek patients with a recent suicide attempt, the predictive ability of BHS especially in terms of age and the possible effect of the financial crisis on hopelessness as it has been identified as a significant suicide risk factor. The study included a total of 510 individuals, citizens of Athens, Greece. Three hundred and forty individuals (170 attempted suicide patients, and 170 -age and gender- matched healthy individuals used as controls) completed BHS before the financial crisis onset (from 2009 to 2010). A sample of 170 healthy individuals also completed the BHS after the financial crisis onset (from 2013 to 2014), when the impact of the austerity measures was being felt by the Greek society. The Greek BHS version demonstrated good psychometric properties and a sufficient degree of internal consistency. Attempted suicide patients (M = 9) presented higher hopelessness than the controls (M = 3). The patients' age positively correlated with hopelessness (rs= .35, p < .001), and the ROC curve revealed that the BHS ability to discriminate the individuals with pathological rates of hopelessness from those without, strengthened as age increased. No significant differences were found between the individuals evaluated before (M = 3) and after (M = 3, p > .05) the crisis onset. Nevertheless, regarding the latter group, the women, the younger individuals, the less educated, the unemployed and the participants with low or mediocre self-reported financial status presented increased hopelessness. Our findings suggest that BHS could be a useful instrument especially when screening for suicide risk in people of older age, and that the financial crisis in Greece had a greater impact on subgroups of the population regarding hopelessness.
authors.affiliation: a Second Department of Psychiatry , University of Athens Medical School, 'Attikon' University General Hospital , Athens , Greece.
authors.forename: Christos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Christodoulou
authors.affiliation: a Second Department of Psychiatry , University of Athens Medical School, 'Attikon' University General Hospital , Athens , Greece.
authors.forename: Vasiliki
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Efstathiou
authors.affiliation: a Second Department of Psychiatry , University of Athens Medical School, 'Attikon' University General Hospital , Athens , Greece.
authors.forename: Ioannis
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Michopoulos
authors.affiliation: a Second Department of Psychiatry , University of Athens Medical School, 'Attikon' University General Hospital , Athens , Greece.
authors.forename: Panagiotis
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ferentinos
authors.affiliation: a Second Department of Psychiatry , University of Athens Medical School, 'Attikon' University General Hospital , Athens , Greece.
authors.forename: Panagiota
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Korkoliakou
authors.affiliation: a Second Department of Psychiatry , University of Athens Medical School, 'Attikon' University General Hospital , Athens , Greece.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gkerekou
authors.affiliation: a Second Department of Psychiatry , University of Athens Medical School, 'Attikon' University General Hospital , Athens , Greece.
authors.forename: Georgios
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bouras
authors.affiliation: a Second Department of Psychiatry , University of Athens Medical School, 'Attikon' University General Hospital , Athens , Greece.
authors.forename: Athanasia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Papadopoulou
authors.affiliation: b First Department of Psychiatry , University of Athens Medical School, 'Eginition' Hospital , Athens , Greece.
authors.forename: Charalabos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Papageorgiou
authors.affiliation: a Second Department of Psychiatry , University of Athens Medical School, 'Attikon' University General Hospital , Athens , Greece.
authors.forename: Athanassios
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Douzenis
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D057172:Economic Recession; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D006115:Greece; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders; D008875:Middle Aged; D011594:Psychometrics; D012307:Risk Factors; D057566:Self Report; D059020:Suicidal Ideation; D013405:Suicide; D013406:Suicide, Attempted; D014478:Unemployment
keywords: Hopelessness; age; financial crisis; suicide attempt; validation