https://orcid.org/0009-0005-6989-1926
![Sample our Health and Social Care journals, sign in here to start your FREE access for 14 days]({"type":"image" , "src" : "/sda/5938/TOC-Subject-Sample-2021-Health-Social-Care.jpg"})
Abstract
Purpose
Patients with schizophrenia not only experience more stigma than those with other mental illnesses, but they also have a higher risk of committing suicide. There are, however, few research on the connection between rural individuals with clinically stable schizophrenia and suicidality when they feel stigmatized. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to look at the suicidality in clinically stable patients with schizophrenia in rural China, including the prevalence, clinical correlates, and its relationships with stigma.
Patients and Methods
From September 2022 to October 2022, we conducted a multicenter, cross-sectional study in rural Chaohu, Anhui Province, China, and A total of 821 patients with schizophrenia completed the assessment. Three standardized questions were used to assess suicidality (including suicidal ideation, suicide plan, and suicide attempt), Patient Health Questionnaire with 9 items (PHQ-9) for determining depressive state, the first two items of the World Health Organization Quality of Life Questionnaire-Brief Version (QOL), which measures quality of life, the Social Impact Scale (SIS) to assess stigma, and some other important variables (eg employment, psychiatric medication, etc.) were measured using a homemade scale.
Results
Of the 821 participants who completed the questionnaire, 19.2% of the patients were found to have suicidality, of which 19.2% (158/821) were suicidal ideation, 5.6% (46/821) were suicide plans and 4.5% (37/821) were suicide attempts. Binary logistic regression analysis showed that job status (OR=0.520, p=0.047), psychiatric medication (OR=2.353, p=0.020), number of hospitalizations (OR=1.047, p=0.042), quality of life (OR=0.829, p=0.027), PHQ-9 (OR=0.209, p<0.001) stigma (OR=1.060, p<0.001) and social isolation in stigma (OR=1.134, p=0.001) were associated independently with suicidality.
Conclusion
Among clinically stable schizophrenia patients in rural China, suicidality is frequent and associated with stigma. Since stigma and some risk factors have a negative impact on suicidality, we should conduct routine screening and take suicide prevention measures to clinically stable schizophrenia patients in rural areas of China.
Abbreviations
SIS, The Social Impact Scale; PHQ-9, Patient Health Questionnaire with 9 items; QOL, Quality of life; BMI, Body Mass Index; SI, suicidal ideation; SP, suicide plan; SA, suicide attempt; SD, Standard deviations; CI, confidence interval.
Data Sharing Statement
A data set that can be obtained from the corresponding author ([email protected]) upon reasonable request.
Ethics Approval and Informed Consent
The survey strictly followed the principles of the Helsinki Declaration and was approved by the Ethics Committee of Chaohu Hospital affiliated to Anhui Medical University (KYXM-202212-013). Before filling in the questionnaire, we informed the participants of the purpose of the study and guaranteed that their personal privacy would not be disclosed, and signed an informed consent form with the participants.
Acknowledgments
The author would like to thank Mr. Ouyang Xu, Mr. Zhang Shaofei, Ms. Sheng Xuanlian, Ms. Ge Menglin and Ms. Yang Meng for their contributions to data collection.
Disclosure
The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.