Suicide and Coping: Specific Coping Behaviours Associated with Suicidal Ideation and Differences Between Predicted and Actual Coping Among Help-Seeking Individuals
Highlights
- Suicidal ideation and behaviours are common in communities.
- Gaps exist in our understanding of how people cope and predict they would cope.
- Specific facets of problem-focused coping are used more frequently than other forms of coping.
- Those without a history of suicidal ideation, relative to those with a history, prognosticate more frequent use of adaptive coping strategies.
- Detailed assessment of coping strategies for suicidal ideation may inform intervention and prevention.
- People without lived experience may underestimate challenges with using adaptive strategies.
Abstract
1. Introduction
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Participants
2.2. Materials
2.3. Brief Coping Orientations to Problems Experienced (Brief COPE [21])
2.4. Depression Anxiety Stress Scale 21-Item Version (DASS-21 [20])
2.5. Procedure
2.6. Data Analysis
3. Results
4. Discussion
5. Conclusions
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Conflicts of Interest
References
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| History of SI (n = 49) | No History of SI (n = 28) | Total Sample (N = 77) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| n (%) | n (%) | n (%) | |
| Gender | |||
| Male | 28 (57.1) | 18 (64.3) | 46 (59.7) |
| Female | 20 (40.8) | 10 (35.7) | 30 (39) |
| Intersex | 1 (2.1) | 0 (0) | 1 (1.3) |
| Education | |||
| Secondary school | 8 (16.3) | 2 (7.1) | 10 (13) |
| Diploma/certificate | 10 (20.4) | 2 (7.1) | 12 (15.6) |
| Undergraduate degree | 18 (36.8) | 13 (46.4) | 31 (40.3) |
| Postgraduate degree | 13 (26.5) | 11 (39.4) | 24 (31.1) |
| Relationship Status | |||
| Single | 25 (51) | 7 (25) | 32 (41.6) |
| Romantic Partner (not cohabiting) | 6 (12.2) | 8 (28.6) | 14 (18.2) |
| Romantic Partner (cohabiting) | 9 (18.4) | 9 (32.1) | 18 (23.4) |
| Married | 9 (18.4) | 4 (14.3) | 13 (16.8) |
| Ethnicity | |||
| Caucasian | 44 (89.8) | 28 (100) | 72 (93.5) |
| Asian | 4 (8.2) | 0 (0) | 4 (5.2) |
| Pakistani | 1 (2) | 0 (0) | 1 (1.3) |
| Work | |||
| Full-time | 26 (53.1) | 18 (64.4) | 44 (57.1) |
| Part-time | 6 (12.2) | 6 (21.4) | 12 (15.6) |
| Casual | 7 (14.3) | 2 (7.1) | 9 (11.7) |
| None | 10 (20.4) | 2 (7.1) | 12 (15.6) |
| Study | |||
| Yes | 14 (28.6) | 8 (28.6) | 22 (28.6) |
| Age | |||
| M (SD) | 31.6 (11.6) | 31.0 (8.3) | 31.3 (10.4) |
| Range | 18–69 | 20–59 | 18–69 |
| DASS-21 Score | |||
| M (SD) Range | 29.9 (14.2) 6–63 | 20.3 (13.3) 0–51 | 26.4 (14.5) 0–63 |
| History of SI (n = 49) | No History of SI (n = 28) | Total Sample (n = 77) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| M (SD) | M (SD) | M (SD) | |
| Problem-Focused Coping | 2.50 (0.60) | 3.03 (0.68) | 2.69 (0.68) |
| Active Coping | 2.64 (0.80) | 3.23 (0.74) | 2.86 (0.83) |
| Use of Informational Support | 2.44 (0.85) | 3.23 (0.91) | 2.73 (0.94) |
| Positive Reframing | 2.36 (0.78) | 2.54 (0.82) | 2.42 (0.79) |
| Planning | 2.55 (0.81) | 3.13 (0.69) | 2.76 (0.81) |
| Emotion-Focused Coping | 2.34 (0.44) | 2.47 (0.40) | 2.38 (0.43) |
| Emotional Support | 2.66 (0.87) | 3.23 (0.81) | 2.87 (0.89) |
| Venting | 2.32 (0.75) | 2.50 (0.83) | 2.38 (0.78) |
| Humour | 1.96 (0.98) | 1.88 (0.99) | 1.93 (0.98) |
| Acceptance | 2.56 (0.75) | 2.52 (0.76) | 2.55 (0.75) |
| Religion | 1.59 (0.78) | 1.98 (0.79) | 1.73 (0.80) |
| Self-Blame | 2.93 (1.02) | 2.70 (0.77) | 2.84 (0.94) |
| Avoidant Coping | 2.20 (0.57) | 2.13 (0.57) | 2.17 (0.57) |
| Self-Distraction | 2.88 (0.83) | 3.04 (0.68) | 2.94 (0.78) |
| Denial | 1.96 (0.93) | 2.09 (0.95) | 2.01 (0.94) |
| Substance Use | 2.07 (1.06) | 1.82 (0.90) | 1.98 (1.00) |
| Behavioural Disengagement | 1.90 (0.88) | 1.55 (0.82) | 1.77 (0.87) |
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Hallford, D.J.; Wallman, E.J.; Kaplan, R.A.; Melvin, G.A. Suicide and Coping: Specific Coping Behaviours Associated with Suicidal Ideation and Differences Between Predicted and Actual Coping Among Help-Seeking Individuals. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2026, 23, 790. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph23060790
Hallford DJ, Wallman EJ, Kaplan RA, Melvin GA. Suicide and Coping: Specific Coping Behaviours Associated with Suicidal Ideation and Differences Between Predicted and Actual Coping Among Help-Seeking Individuals. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2026; 23(6):790. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph23060790
Chicago/Turabian StyleHallford, David John, Emily J. Wallman, Ryan A. Kaplan, and Glenn A. Melvin. 2026. "Suicide and Coping: Specific Coping Behaviours Associated with Suicidal Ideation and Differences Between Predicted and Actual Coping Among Help-Seeking Individuals" International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 23, no. 6: 790. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph23060790
APA StyleHallford, D. J., Wallman, E. J., Kaplan, R. A., & Melvin, G. A. (2026). Suicide and Coping: Specific Coping Behaviours Associated with Suicidal Ideation and Differences Between Predicted and Actual Coping Among Help-Seeking Individuals. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 23(6), 790. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph23060790

