Is Lethality Different between Males and Females? Clinical and Gender Differences in Inpatient Suicide Attempters

• Published in: International journal of environmental research and public health Vol. 19; no. 20; p. 13309
• Main Authors: Berardelli, Isabella, Rogante, Elena, Sarubbi, Salvatore, Erbuto, Denise, Cifrodelli, Mariarosaria, Concolato, Cristina, Pasquini, Massimo, Lester, David, Innamorati, Marco, Pompili, Maurizio
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 15.10.2022; MDPI
• Subjects: Adult; Age; Alcohol use; Emergency medical care; Female; Females; Firearms; Gender; Gender aspects; Gender differences; Hospitalization; Humans; Hypotheses; Inpatients - psychology; Length of stay; Male; Males; Mental disorders; Methods; Patients; Psychiatrists; Review boards; Risk analysis; Risk Factors; Risk reduction; Risk taking; Sex Characteristics; Sex differences; Sex Factors; Suicidal behavior; Suicidal Ideation; Suicide; Suicide, Attempted - psychology; Suicides & suicide attempts; Women; males; gender; females; prevention; suicide
• ISSN: 1660-4601; 1661-7827; 1660-4601
• DOI: 10.3390/ijerph192013309

According to the gender paradox in suicidology, an important sex difference has been reported with a preponderance of females in nonfatal suicidal behavior and a preponderance of males in completed suicide. Furthermore, females and males present different risk factors for suicide. The present study explored possible clinical differences between male and female psychiatric inpatients who had recently attempted suicide. The study included 177 adult inpatients hospitalized following a suicide attempt at the University Psychiatric Clinic, Sant'Andrea Hospital, Sapienza University of Rome. Clinical features assessed included psychiatric diagnosis, method and lethality of suicide attempts using the Risk/Rescue Rating Scale, the history of suicide attempts, age at onset of psychiatric illness, the presence of substance or alcohol use, and the length of stay. The results found that males and females differed in the method used for the suicide attempt, the scores for risk and rescue, and the length of hospitalization post-suicide attempt. In conclusion, identifying gender characteristics of patients at higher risk of suicide is important for implementing specific suicide prevention strategies and reducing the risk of future suicidal behavior in psychiatric inpatients.