Recent Stressful Life Events and Suicidal Ideation in Schizophrenia A 1-Year Follow-up Study

Half of patients with schizophrenia experience suicidal ideation. Only few studies have examined the effects of recent stress on both current and emergent suicidal ideation. A cohort of 85 patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders was assessed. The study was divided into a cross-sectional and longitudinal arms to test the effect of recent stress on suicidal ideation. Analysis was done using logistic regression models. After correcting for covariates, recent stress had no significant effect on current suicidal ideation. However, increased total stress (odds ratio [OR] = 1.099 [1.032-1.170], p = 0.003) and health-related stress (OR = 1.331 [1.074-1.650], p = 0.009) at follow-up were predictive of emergent suicidal ideation. With this sample size, we were unable to draw firm conclusions regarding the effect of specific life events on suicidal ideation. Further studies involving larger samples that investigate the interplay between several risk factors are needed.