title: Coping Strategies in Patients Who Had Suicide Attempts.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The aim of this study was to investigate coping strategies suggested to be a determinant of suicide attempt and to compare them with coping strategies of healthy volunteers.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study was conducted on 50 patients who had suicide attempts within the past two months and 52 healthy volunteers who did not have any suicide attempt. They were evaluated with the Turkish version of COPE inventory. The results were analyzed using SPSS version 15.0 for Windows.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the suicide attempt group, 'active coping', 'planning', 'positive reinterpretation and growth' scores were found to be lower than that in the control group. On the other hand, 'restraint coping', 'acceptance', 'focus on and venting of emotions', 'behavioral disengagement', 'substance use' and nonfunctional coping total points were significantly higher in the suicide attempt group. The patients with depression in the suicide group were found less of the 'positive reinterpretation and growth' but more of the 'substance use' compared to the healthy group. Subjects who attempted suicide more than once tended to 'substance use' rather than 'active coping'. 'Focus on and venting of emotions' scores in suicide attempters were higher in women than in males.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We observed that individuals who attempted suicide have fewer functional coping strategies and more nonfunctional coping strategies than who do not attempt suicide. It was determined that under stressful situations, individuals with depression tended to alcohol and substance abuse instead of positive reinterpretation and growth. In subjects who had recurrent suicidal attempts, alcohol and substance abuse was more common than active coping. Women were using focusing on and venting of emotions techniques much more than men. We assume that to monitor, and in case of necessity, to change the coping strategies in suicide attempters are vitally important for preventing suicide attempts.
authors.affiliation: Clinic of Psychiatry, Bakırköy Mental Health and Neurological Diseases Education and Research Hospital, İstanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ramazan
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Konkan
authors.affiliation: Clinic of Psychiatry, Bakırköy Mental Health and Neurological Diseases Education and Research Hospital, İstanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Gizem Hanzade
authors.initials: GH
authors.lastname: Erkuş
authors.affiliation: Clinic of Psychiatry, Bakırköy Mental Health and Neurological Diseases Education and Research Hospital, İstanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Oya
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Güçlü
authors.affiliation: Clinic of Psychiatry, Bakırköy Mental Health and Neurological Diseases Education and Research Hospital, İstanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ömer
authors.initials: Ö
authors.lastname: Şenormanci
authors.affiliation: Clinic of Psychiatry, Bakırköy Mental Health and Neurological Diseases Education and Research Hospital, İstanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Erkan
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Aydin
authors.affiliation: Clinic of Psychiatry, Bakırköy Mental Health and Neurological Diseases Education and Research Hospital, İstanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Mine Cansu
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Ülgen
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Marmara University Faculty of Medicine, İstanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Mehmet Z
authors.initials: MZ
authors.lastname: Sungur
keywords: Suicide attempt; coping strategies; despair; life events