Signs of current suicidality in men: A systematic review

PLoS One. 2017 Mar 29;12(3):e0174675. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0174675. eCollection 2017.

Abstract

Suicide signs have been identified by expert consensus and are relied on by service providers, community helpers' and family members to identify suicidal men. Whether signs that are reported in suicide literature accurately describe male presentations of suicidality is unclear. A systematic review of the literature was conducted to identify male-specific signs of current suicidality and identify gaps in the literature for future research. Searches through Medline, CINAHL, PsychInfo and the Behavioral Sciences Collection, guided by the PRISMA-P statement, identified 12 studies that met the study eligibility criteria. Although the results generally reflected suicide signs identified by expert consensus, there is little research that has examined male-specific signs of the current suicidal state. This review highlights the need for scientific research to clarify male presentation of suicidality. Implications for future research to improve the prompt identification of suicidal men are discussed.

Publication types

  • Review
  • Systematic Review

MeSH terms

  • Anger
  • Humans
  • Interpersonal Relations
  • Male
  • Risk Assessment / methods
  • Risk Factors
  • Social Behavior
  • Suicidal Ideation*
  • Suicide / psychology*
  • Suicide Prevention*
  • Suicide, Attempted / psychology*

Grants and funding

Tara Hunt's work was supported by the Ian Scott Scholarship from Australian Rotary Health (https://australianrotaryhealth.org.au/suicide-in-men-research-ian-scott-phd-scholarship/). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.