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Biomedical subjects

Helen S Keeley

Publications and source records attributed to Helen S Keeley.

6 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2005

Problem-solving ability and repetition of deliberate self-harm: a multicentre study.

BACKGROUND: While recent studies have found problem-solving impairments in individuals who engage in deliberate self-harm (DSH), few studies have examined repeaters and non-repeaters separately. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether specific types of problem-solving are associated with repeated DSH. METHOD: As part of the WHO/EURO Multicentre Study on Suicidal Behaviour, 836 medically treated DSH patients (59% repeaters) from 12 European regions were interviewed using the European Parasuicide Study Interview Schedule (EPSIS II) approximately 1 year after their index episode. The Utrecht Coping List (UCL) assessed habitual responses to problems. RESULTS: Factor analysis identified five dimensions--Active Handling, Passive-Avoidance, Problem Sharing, Palliative Reactions and Negative Expression. Passive-Avoidance--characterized by a pre-occupation with problems, feeling unable to do anything, worrying about the past and taking a gloomy view of the situation, a greater likelihood of giving in so as to avoid difficult situations, the tendency to resign oneself to the situation, and to try to avoid problems--was the problem-solving dimension most strongly associated with repetition, although this association was attenuated by self-esteem. CONCLUSIONS: The outcomes of the study indicate that treatments for DSH patients with repeated episodes should include problem-solving interventions. The observed passivity and avoidance of problems (coupled with low self-esteem) associated with repetition suggests that intensive therapeutic input and follow-up are required for those with repeated DSH.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed2005

Socioeconomic change and suicide: a time-series study from the Republic of Ireland.

This ecological study examined the association between seven socioeconomic indicators (GDP, unemployment rate, female labor force participation rate, alcohol expenditure, marriage rate, percentage of births outside of marriage, and indictable crime rate) and total, male, and female rates of suicide and suicide plus undetermined death in Ireland during the period 1968-2000. Analysis of the data expressed as absolute values showed highly significant associations between the socioeconomic indicators and the total, male, and female suicide rates. However, these associations were explained by the strongly trended data. The trended nature of the data was removed by using year-to-year differences. Analysis of the first-differenced data showed that none of the socioeconomic indicators was associated with the total, male, or female suicide rates with the exception of indictable crime, which had a significant independent effect on the female suicide rate (coefficient = 2.0, p < .01) but not on suicide plus undetermined death. This study highlights the need to use econometric methods in time-trend analyses, the lack of age-sex specific exposure data in this area, and the challenge of understanding trends in suicide in their socioeconomic context.

Cause of Death↗
PubMed2004

The incidence and repetition of attempted suicide in Ireland.

BACKGROUND: Suicidal behaviour has increasingly become recognized as a major public health problem. This study aimed to establish the extent of hospital-treated attempted suicide in South-west Ireland. METHODS: Between 1995 and 1997, routine data collection, based on the standardized methodology of the WHO/Euro Multicentre Study on Suicidal Behaviour, took place in all general and psychiatric hospitals and prisons in the Southern and Mid-western Health Boards covering one-quarter (863,709) of the Irish population. RESULTS: The annual person-based (aged over 15 years) male and female European age-standardized attempted suicide rates were 163 and 190 per 100,000, respectively. Female rates far exceeded male rates in under 20-year-olds. The peak rates for men and women were in the age range 20-24 (374 per 100,000) and 15-19 (433 per 100,000) years, respectively. One in six (16%) made a repeat attempt within the study period. Adjusting for age, repetition was marginally less common in women. Multivariate analysis investigating the risk of repetition associated with age, method and previous attempts found no age effect for women but an increased risk of repetition among men in their thirties (OR=1.7, 95% CI: 1.2-2.4). An attempt in the preceding 12 months greatly elevated the risk of repetition, particularly for women (female OR=13.7, 95% CI: 9.3-20.4; male OR=5.6, 95% CI: 4.1-7.8). CONCLUSION: Attempted suicide is a significant public health problem in Ireland. Rates are higher in women and highest among the young. An attempt in the past year greatly increases the risk of repetition, especially in women.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

Temporal variation in Irish suicide rates.

Using Irish suicide data for the period 1990-1998, the independent effects of month and day adjusting for age, gender, and calendar year effects and distinguishing between holiday and working Mondays were assessed. The male suicide rate was significantly higher on working Mondays (+31%) and Saturdays (+14%), and during April, June, and August (+17%), after adjustment for the other variables. In contrast, female suicide rates were higher only in August (+35%) and exhibited no day effect. Teenage men had a greater elevation of risk on Saturdays, Sundays, and both working and holiday Mondays than any other group. The study findings should be taken into account in the planning of specialized health care services and helplines for suicidal people. Furthermore, the findings provide support for Gabennesch's (1988) broken promise theory and the relationship between dysfunctions of the serotonergic system and suicidal behavior.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2003

Risk of suicide ideation associated with problem-solving ability and attitudes toward suicidal behavior in university students.

The present paper investigates the risk of lifetime suicide ideation associated with problem-solving ability and attitudes toward suicidal behavior in a sample of 328 university students (41% male, 59% female). The response rate was 77% based on the total number of students registered for the relevant courses. A series of questions assessed lifetime suicide ideation, while problem solving and attitudes toward suicide were measured using the Self-Rating Problem Solving scale and four subscales of the Suicide Opinion Questionnaire, respectively (McLeavey, 1986; Domino et al., 1989). Almost one-third of the students surveyed had lifetime suicide ideation. Both genders were similar in terms of their suicide ideation history, problem solving, and attitudes toward suicidal behavior with the exception that male students were more in agreement with the attitude that suicidal behavior lacks real intent. Compared with 2% of nonideators and ideators, one in four planners reported that they would more than likely attempt suicide at some point in their life. Greater agreement with the attitude that suicidal behavior is normal was associated with significantly increased risk of being an ideator, as was poor problem solving and less agreement with the attitude that suicidal behavior is associated with mental illness.

Adolescent↗