Multidimensional Analysis of Clinical, Demographic, and Cultural Factors in Suicidal Ideation and Behavior in a Psychiatric Inpatient Ward

Main Article Content

Sebastián Malleza
Lara A. Remezovski
Fernando C. Bertolani
Daniel Matusevich

Abstract

Introduction: Suicide is responsible for 1.5% of deaths worldwide, totaling approximately 800,000
deaths per year. Estimates suggest that it will become one of the leading contributors to the global
burden of morbidity in the next two decades. Proper clinical training in the field of suicidology and the
prevention of suicidal behavior is particularly relevant in the context of the psychiatric inpatient ward.
This study aims to analyze the factors that contribute to suicidal ideation and behavior in patients
hospitalized in the psychiatric inpatient ward of a general university hospital.
Materials and Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study of hospitalized patients over one year
(October 2018 to September 2019, n=254). We examined sociodemographic, cultural, and clinical
variables related to suicide.
Results: Of the patients admitted during the study period, 39.4% reported suicidal ideation, 13.4% had
a suicidal plan, and 10.6% had attempted suicide. Women had a higher chance of hospitalization due
to suicidal ideation (OR=2.22, 95% CI [1.28-3.77]), suicidal plan (OR=2.77, 95% CI [1.15-6.62]), and
suicide attempt (OR=3.12, 95% CI [1.13-8.47]). Seventy percent of patients over 65 years old with a
suicidal plan lived alone, while this percentage was 80% for those admitted after a suicide attempt.
Conclusions: Most epidemiological data on suicidal behavior come from developed countries.
Considering the complexity of this phenomenon, we believe it is necessary to incorporate social, politicaleconomic, cultural, and gender perspectives into the analysis. Application of the idiographic method could provide a useful tool to advance our understanding of suicidology by proposing an approach that draws on quantitative and qualitative information centered on the individual in an iterative process that starts with the individual and then seeks contextualized common elements.

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Published: 2024-05-24
Keywords:
suicide, epidemiology, isolation, women, culture, ideographic

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Original Article

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1.
Malleza S, Remezovski LA, Bertolani FC, Matusevich D. Multidimensional Analysis of Clinical, Demographic, and Cultural Factors in Suicidal Ideation and Behavior in a Psychiatric Inpatient Ward. Rev Hosp Ital B.Aires [Internet]. 2024 May 24 [cited 2026 Aug. 1];44(2):e000290. Available from: https://ojs.hospitalitaliano.org.ar/index.php/revistahi/article/view/290

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