Associations between impulsivity, aggression, and suicide in Chinese college students

• Published in: BMC public health 2014-06, Vol.14 (1), p.551-551, Article 551
• Main Authors: Wang, Lin, He, Chang Zhi, Yu, Yun Miao, Qiu, Xiao Hui, Yang, Xiu Xian, Qiao, Zheng Xue, Sui, Hong, Zhu, Xiong Zhao, Yang, Yan Jie
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Aggression - psychology; Analysis; Asian Continental Ancestry Group; China - epidemiology; College students; Computer software industry; Depressive Disorder - epidemiology; Epidemiology; Female; Humans; Hypotheses; Impulsive Behavior; Impulsivity; Male; Prevalence; Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; Psychological aspects; Public health; Risk Factors; Self destructive behavior; Social aspects; Socioeconomic Factors; Students - psychology; Studies; Suicidal Ideation; Suicide - psychology; Suicide - statistics & numerical data; Suicide, Attempted - psychology; Suicides & suicide attempts; Surveys and Questionnaires; Teenagers; University students; Young Adult
• ISSN: 1471-2458; 1471-2458
• DOI: 10.1186/1471-2458-14-551

Although there are accumulating data regarding the epidemiology of suicide in China, there are meager data on suicidal ideation and attempts among college students. Interestingly, elevated impulsivity is thought to facilitate the transition from suicidal thoughts to suicidal behavior. Therefore, the objective of this research was to identify the associations between suicide and the personality factors of impulsivity and aggression. This study's sampling method employed stratified random cluster sampling. A multi-stage stratified sampling procedure was used to select participants (n = 5,245). We conducted structured interviews regarding a range of socio-demographic characteristics and suicidal morbidity. The Patient Health Questionnaire depression module (PHQ-9) was used to acquire the information about thoughts of being better off dead or hurting themselves in some ways during the past two weeks. The impulsivity symptoms in this study were assessed with the BIS-11-CH (i.e., the Chinese version of the BIS-11), and the Aggressive symptoms were assessed with the BAQ. The statistical package for social science (SPSS) v.13.0 program (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA) was used for statistical analysis. Socio-demographic variables such as ethnic and gender were compared between groups, through the use of χ2 tests. The nonparametric test (k Independent Sample test, Kruskal-Wallis H) was performed to determine differences between the personality factors of impulsivity and aggression and suicide. In total, 9.1% (n = 479) of the 5,245 students reported they have ever thought about committing suicide; and 1% (n = 51) reported a history of attempted suicide (attempters). The analyses detected significant differences in scores on cognitive impulsivity (p