Research > Prevalence of and Risk and Protective Factors for Suicidal Behavior
Prevalence of and Risk and Protective Factors for Suicidal Behavior
This study is funded by the National Institute of Mental Health and is part of the larger a WHO World Mental Health (WMH) Survey Initiative
Principal Investigator: Matthew K. Nock, PhD
Co-Investigator: Ronald Kessler, PhD
About the Principal Investigator
Matthew K. Nock is the John L. Loeb Associate Professor of the Social Sciences in the Department of Psychology at Harvard University. He received his M.S. (2000), M.Phil. (2001) and Ph.D. (2003) in psychology from Yale University. He completed his clinical internship at the NYU-Child Study Center and Bellevue Hospital Center (2003) and joined the faculty of the Department of Psychology at Harvard University the same year. His research focuses on a) determining the functions of self-injurious thoughts and behavior (SITB) in adolescents, b) examining decision-making, problem-solving, emotional reactivity, distress tolerance, the experience of physical pain, and other factors influence the developmental and maintenance to SITB, c) learning about the experience of SITB in everyday life, outside of the laboratory setting, and d) enhancing methods for assessing and treating SITB.
Project Description
Suicide is among the leading causes of death worldwide. This project examines the prevalence of and risk and protective factors for suicidal thoughts and behaviors. This project uses data from the 26 coordinated national population surveys (n =193,096) participating in the WHO World Mental Health (WMH) Survey Initiative. The unprecedented size, representativeness, and richness of the WMH database provides a unique opportunity to conduct comprehensive analyses of a range of suicide- related outcomes, including: suicidal ideation, suicide plans, suicide gestures, and suicide attempts. The aims of this project are to: (1) estimate the cross-national prevalence, onset, and transitions between suicide-related outcomes; (2) examine risk and protective factors for lifetime occurrence of suicide-related outcomes; and (3) examine risk and protective factors for 12-month occurrence of suicide attempts. The results of this study will advance understanding of suicide-related outcomes and are expected to generate significant progress in scientific, clinical, and policy efforts aimed at the prediction and prevention these dangerous outcomes.