Differences in suicide risk correlates and history of suicide ideation and attempts as a function of disability type

Abstract

Background: Disability status is associated with correlates of suicide risk (perceived burdensomeness, thwarted belongingness, negative future disposition, felt stigma, suicidal ideation, and suicide attempts). Aims: This study aimed to examine whether suicide-related correlates differ significantly as a function of disability type. Methods: Individuals with mobility and vision disabilities (N = 102) completed semistructured interviews and online-based questionnaires. Analysis of variance/analysis of covaiance and Fisher's exact tests were conducted to examine whether mean levels of suicide-related correlates differed significantly between individuals with blindness/low vision (n = 63) versus mobility-related (n = 39) disabilities. Results: No significant between-group differences were observed for most outcomes; however, individuals with vision disabilities reported higher mean levels of felt stigma and positive future disposition than those with mobility-related disabilities. Limitations: The limited representation of disabilities among participants precludes generalization to individuals with other forms of disability and the cross-sectional design prevents inference about causality. Conclusions: Interventions targeting cognitive processes that underlie suicide risk may be applicable to people with mobility and vision disabilities.