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Cited by 44Suicide and Self-Harm StudiesHomicide, Infanticide, and Child AbuseGrief, Bereavement, and Mental Health

Motivations for suicide: converging evidence from clinical and community samples

May, Alexis M., Pachkowski, Mikayla C., Klonsky, E. David·2020·Journal of Psychiatric Research
DOI 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2020.02.010
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Abstract

Understanding what motivates suicidal behavior is critical to effective prevention and clinical intervention. The Inventory of Motivations for Suicide Attempts (IMSA) is a self-report measure developed to assess a wide variety of potential motivations for suicide. The purpose of this study is to examine the measure's psychometric and descriptive properties in two distinct populations: 1) adult psychiatric inpatients (n = 59) with recent suicide attempts (median of 3 days prior) and 2) community participants assessed online (n = 222) who had attempted suicide a median of 5 years earlier. Findings were very similar across both samples and consistent with initial research on the IMSA in outpatients and undergraduates who had attempted suicide. First, the individual IMSA scales demonstrated good internal reliability and were well represented by a two factor superordinate structure: 1) Internal Motivations and 2) Communication Motivations. Second, in both samples unbearable mental pain and hopelessness were the most common and strongly endorsed motivations, while interpersonal influence was the least endorsed. Finally, motivations were similar in men and women -- a pattern that previous work was not in a position to examine. Taken together with previous work, findings suggest that the nature, structure, and clinical correlates of suicide attempt motivations remain consistent across diverse individuals and situations. The IMSA may serve as a useful tool in both research and clinical contexts to quickly assess individual suicide attempt motivations.

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Authors
May, A. M., Pachkowski, M. C., & Klonsky, E. D.
Affiliations
  • Wesleyan University (US)
  • University of British Columbia (CA)
Corresponding author
May, Alexis M.
ORCID
Venue
Journal of Psychiatric Research
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2020-04
Volume
123
Pages
171-177
ISSN
0022-3956 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1016/j.jpsychires.2020.02.010
OpenAlex
W3006498250
Cited by
44
References
39
Citations by year
2026: 9 · 2025: 8 · 2024: 11 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 6 · 2021: 4 · 2020: 2
FWCI
1.60
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
Locations
  • Journal of Psychiatric Research (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
  • Military Suicide Research Consortium Dissertation Award
  • Faculty of Arts Graduate Student Research Award
  • American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (PRG-1-073-13)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Suicide and Self-Harm Studies
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Homicide, Infanticide, and Child Abuse
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Grief, Bereavement, and Mental Health
Keywords
psychometric properties, factor structure, intrinsic motivation, communication motivation, hopelessness, psychological suffering, interpersonal influence, psychiatric inpatients, community sample, sex differences, suicide prevention
MeSH terms
Adult, Female, Humans, Male, Motivation, Psychometrics, Risk Factors, Suicide, Attempted, Reproducibility of Results, Suicidal Ideation

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