Familial aggregation of suicidal behavior: a family study of male suicide completers from the general population

Abstract

Objective: This study compared suicidality in families of adult male suicide completers and community comparison subjects.

Method: Two hundred forty-seven relatives of 25 male suicide completers and 171 relatives of 25 matched comparison subjects were assessed for recurrent risk of suicidal and related behaviors. Analyses were performed on a subgroup of relatives of suicide completers with cluster B personality disorders.

Results: Relatives of suicide completers were over 10 times more likely than relatives of comparison subjects to attempt or complete suicide after the authors controlled for psychopathology. Relatives of suicide completers were not more likely to exhibit suicidal ideation but had more severe suicidal ideation than relatives of comparison subjects. These findings were stronger for the suicide completers diagnosed with cluster B personality disorders.

Conclusions: Suicide has a familial component independent of psychopathology that may be mediated by a combination of factors, including more severe suicidal ideation and aggressive behavior.