Predictors of self-report suicide attempts

For years suicide has been identified as a public health issue (Bauer, 1953). Studies have documented upwards of 90% of individuals who commit suicide have a diagnosed mental illness (Henriksson et al., 1993). A major risk factor for suicide is prior suicide attempts (Fawcett at al., 1987). This study examined predictors of self-reported suicide attempts among Medicaid-enrolled adults receiving Supplemental Security Income due to a severe mental illness. A secondary analysis was conducted on data collected from 688 individuals who participated in a study examining the impact of managed mental health care on service access and quality of care. Descriptive analyses revealed that 55 of the adults (8%) reported a suicide attempt during the first six months of this study. Propensity scoring was used to obtain a “matched” sample of 138 individuals from among non-suicide attempt study participants. The two groups were then compared on various demographic, clinical, and service utilization factors. Bivariate results indicated participants who reported a suicide attempt during the first six months of the study were more likely to be Hispanic, have previous suicide attempts, and increased levels of mental health symptoms compared to the non-suicide attempters. Higher use of crisis stabilization services and prior hospitalizations in the three months prior to the study were associated with suicide attempts as was not being on an atypical antipsychotic medication. A logistic regression analysis was performed to develop a prediction model of reported suicide attempts. The presentation will summarize the results of this analysis and discuss its implications.