Masculine gender-related personality traits and acquired capability for suicide

Abstract

In most countries, substantially more men than women die by suicide, implicating masculine gender-related personality (MGP) traits as a risk factor for suicide. The Interpersonal Theory of Suicide posits that acquired capability for suicide (ACS) is needed to end one's life. To investigate MGP traits and ACS, college students (N = 149) completed measures of stoicism, sensation seeking, physical aggression, and ACS. For both genders, most MGP traits were associated with increased ACS. Physical aggression mediated relations between both stoicism and sensation seeking and ACS, but gender did not moderate these associations, suggesting similar patterns for men and women.