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Suicide and Self-Injury

Is it always a choice?: An exploration of factors differentiating voluntary, solicited, and third-party suicide disclosure experiences

(PS2-A12) Is It Always a Choice?: An Exploration of Factors Differentiating Voluntary, Solicited, and Third-party Suicide Disclosure Experiences

Friday, November 18, 2022

10:30 AM – 11:30 AM EST

Location: Westside Ballroom, 5th Floor

Author(s)

Kerri-Anne Bell, M.A.

Graduate Student
University of Notre Dame
South Bend, Indiana
BA

Brooke A. Ammerman, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor
University of Notre Dame
Notre Dame, Indiana

Disclosure of suicidal thoughts and behaviors (STBs) has been linked to critical outcomes such as suicide severity. Thus, understanding the complexities of disclosure experiences is imperative to risk detection and management. While prior work has identified factors associated with STB disclosure presence, little is known about the factors that differentiate those who have different types of disclosure experiences – specifically how the disclosure occurred. To address this knowledge gap, the present study sought to examine demographic and suicide-specific characteristic differences among those whose initial STB disclosure was classified as voluntary, solicited, or via a third-party.

Participants recruited via Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk) completed an online survey in service of a larger study on STB disclosure patterns. Eligible participants completed self-report measures on their race, ethnicity, age, sex, sexual orientation, history of STBs, and their initial STB disclosure experience. Participants included 514 adults, aged 19 to 68 (M=36.1, SD=9.81), with a history of suicide ideation and previous STB disclosure. The sample identified as majority White (58.6%), non-Hispanic (62.9%), male (67%), and heterosexual (56.6%); 48.7% of participants had a history of suicide planning, and 41.5% reported a previous suicide attempt.

Participants reported a diverse range of initial STB disclosure experiences (40.9% voluntary, 31.9% solicited, and 27.2% via third-party). A significantly greater proportion of White individuals made up the voluntary and solicited disclosure groups, χ²(2)=8.48, p< .05, in comparison to individuals of color. Similarly, a significantly greater proportion of non-Hispanic individuals made up all three disclosure groups, χ²(2)=21.75, p< .001, compared to Hispanic individuals. A significantly greater proportion of heterosexual individuals made up the voluntary disclosure group, but a greater proportion of gay, lesbian and bisexual individuals made up the solicited and third-party disclosure groups, χ²(2)=32.93, p< .001. No sex χ²(2)=3.6, p=.17] or age [F(2,510)=.56, p=.57] differences were found among disclosure groups.

Regarding suicide-specific characteristics, a significantly greater proportion of individuals with no history of a suicide attempt made up the voluntary disclosure group, whereas those with a history of an attempt made up a greater proportion of the third-party disclosure group, χ²(2)=9.49, p< .01. No differences across groups were found regarding history of suicide planning [χ²(2)=.70, p=.70], frequency of suicide ideation [F(2,387)=2.13, p=.12], frequency of suicide planning [F(2,246)=.57, p=.57], or frequency of suicide attempts [F(2,210)=.59, p=.55].

There were significant differences across disclosure groups based on race, ethnicity, gender, and suicide attempt history status. These preliminary findings advance STB disclosure research by shedding light on who may initially voluntarily disclose STBs, as opposed to whose disclosure experiences are solicited or made via a third-party. This further magnifies the importance of key considerations to be taken when conducting comprehensive assessments with culturally diverse populations.