Citation

Crosby AE, Sacks JJ. Suicide Life Threat. Behav. 2002; 32(3): 321-328.

Affiliation

National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA 30341-3724, USA. aec1@cdc.gov

Copyright

(Copyright © 2002, American Association of Suicidology, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

12374477

Abstract

Exposure to the suicide of another is common, but the magnitude and effects of such exposure are not well quantified. From a national random telephone survey of U.S. adults, we estimated the 12-month incidence of exposure to suicide and its association with suicidal ideation, planning, and behavior. Of 5,238 respondents, 342 (a weighted 7.0% representing 13.2 million persons) reported knowing a suicide decedent from the previous year. Univariate analysis showed persons reporting such exposure were significantly more likely to describe suicidal ideation and behavior than those unexposed; multivariate analysis showed no association. Though the risk related to suicide exposure may be small, given the magnitude of exposure, it may warrant intervention efforts because of its potential societal impact.