Citation

Bloch-Elkouby S, Zilcha-Mano S, Roger ML, Park JY, Manlongat K, Krumerman M, Galynker I. Acta Psychiatr. Scand. 2022; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2022, John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/acps.13511

PMID

36263445

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Patients' non-disclosure of suicidal ideation and intent concealment represents a major obstacle to the effective assessment of suicide risk and to the delivery of suicide prevention treatments. The present study aimed to investigate this phenomenon and to assess: (1) if outpatient psychiatric patients are more or less likely to disclose ideation and intent to mental health clinicians in the context of psychiatric/psychological treatment than they are to in the context of research interviews with non-clinicians; and (2) if certain demographic, trait-like, and state-like characteristics may be predict such disclosure differences.

METHODS: 780 psychiatric outpatient participants aged 18 to 84 and 193 clinician participants aged 25 to 54 were included in the study. The proportion of patients who disclosed to clinicians only, to research assistants only, to both, and to none, was compared using a z-test. Univariate analyses were used to compare participants' variables across disclosure groups, and significant individual predictors were included in multilevel regression analyses.

RESULTS: Participants were more significantly more likely to disclose to RAs (10.4%) than to clinicians (5.6%), p<.001. Neuroticism and trait anxiety predicted disclosure to RAs vs no disclosure; low extraversion predicted disclosure to clinician vs. no disclosure; and extraversion and trait anxiety predicted disclosure to RAs vs. to clinicians.

DISCUSSION: Patients' disclosure patterns, the personality variables predicting them, and their clinical implications were discussed in the context of the extant literature on patients' reasons for concealing suicidal ideation and intent. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Language: en

Keywords

suicidal ideation; concealment; nondisclosure; suicidal intent disclosure