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Cited by 84Suicide and Self-Harm StudiesDeath Anxiety and Social ExclusionMental Health via Writing

The internal suicide debate hypothesis: exploring the life versus death struggle

Open access
Harris, Keith M., McLean, John P., Sheffield, Jeanie, Jobes, David·2010·Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior
DOI 10.1521/suli.2010.40.2.181
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Abstract

Researchers and theorists (e.g., Shneidman, Stengel, Kovacs, and Beck) hyothesized that suicidal people engage in an internal debate, or struggle, over whether to live or die, but few studies have tested its tenability. This study introduces direct assessment of a suicidal debate, revealing new aspects of suicidal ideation. Results, from an online survey (N = 1,016), showed nearly all suicide-risk respondents engaged in the debate. In addition, debate frequency accounted for 54% of the variance in suicidality scores, and showed significant associations with other indicators of suicide risk. Likely factors of the debate, reasons for living and dying, showed significant differences by suicidality, and most suicide-risk participants reported going online for such purposes, demonstrating a behavioral component of the debate.

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Crossref · 10.1521/suli.2010.40.2.181

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Research works printed but not linked: 7

  1. Cohen J., 2003, Applied multiple regression/correlation analysis for the behavioral sciences
  2. Evans G., 1988, The encyclopedia of suicide
  3. Hirsch J. K., 1996, Differences in life stress and reasons for living among college suicide ideators and non‐ideators, College Student Journal, 30, 377
  4. Mann R. E., 2002, Reasons for living vs. reasons for dying: The development of suicidal typologies for predicting treatment outcomes (Doctoral dissertation, Catholic University of America), Dissertation Abstracts International: Section B: The Sciences and Engineering, 63
  5. Shneidman E. S., 1999, The Harvard Medical School guide to suicide assessment and intervention, 83
  6. Simpson G., 2007, Young Brit women online more than men, Business Week.
  7. Weishaar M. E., 1990, Suicide over the life cycle: Risk factors, assessment, and treatment of suicidal patients, 469

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Related

Authors
Harris, K. M., McLean, J. P., Sheffield, J., & Jobes, D.
Affiliations
  • James Cook University Singapore (SG)
  • The University of Queensland (AU)
ORCID
Venue
Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior
Publisher
Wiley
Published
2010-04-01
Volume
40
Issue
2
Pages
181-192
ISSN
  • 0363-0234 (ISSN-L)
  • 1943-278X
DOI
10.1521/suli.2010.40.2.181
OpenAlex
W1993211312
Semantic Scholar
12a758ca7589172d7c76b9bfeeadb18d980272e9
Cited by
84
References
46
Citations by year
2026: 8 · 2025: 6 · 2024: 13 · 2023: 3 · 2022: 9 · 2021: 4 · 2020: 5 · 2019: 7 · 2018: 2 · 2017: 5 · 2016: 6 · 2015: 2 · 2014: 6 · 2013: 4 · 2012: 3
FWCI
2.62
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • ResearchOnline at James Cook University (James Cook University) (submittedVersion)
  • eCite Digital Repository (University of Tasmania) (submittedVersion)
  • Figshare (submittedVersion, cc-by)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Suicide and Self-Harm Studies
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Death Anxiety and Social Exclusion
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Mental Health via Writing
Keywords
suicidal ideation, suicide risk, reasons for living, suicide risk assessment
MeSH terms
Adolescent, Adult, Aged, Death, Decision Making, Female, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Models, Psychological, Regression Analysis, Risk, Suicide, Thinking, Internet, Young Adult

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