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Behavioral Sciences
Special Issues
Suicide Behaviors and Prevention Among Vulnerable Populations
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Suicide Behaviors and Prevention Among Vulnerable Populations

A special issue of Behavioral Sciences (ISSN 2076-328X). This special issue belongs to the section "Health Psychology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 10 November 2026 | Viewed by 652

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Irene Caro-Cañizares

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Psychology and Health Sciences School, Universidad a Distancia de Madrid (UDIMA), 28400 Collado Villalba, Spain
Interests: emotional dysregulation; self-injury behaviors; suicidology; psychopathology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Elena Brenlla

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Psychology, Open University of Madrid (Universidad a Distancia de Madrid, UDIMA), 28400 Collado Villalba, Spain
Interests: psychological assessment; suicidology; psychological time/time perspective
Dr. Eva Izquierdo Sotorrío

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Psychology, Open University of Madrid (Universidad a Distancia de Madrid, UDIMA), 28400 Collado Villalba, Spain
Interests: psychological assessment; gender and psychology; suicidology; interseccionality and mental health

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Suicide remains a major psychosocial and public health concern, accounting for more than 700,000 deaths worldwide each year and causing profound suffering not only to individuals, but also to families, communities, and society at large. In recent years, important advances have been made in conceptualizing suicide as a complex, dynamic, and multicausal phenomenon, integrating biological, psychological, social, and contextual factors. This more nuanced understanding has contributed to a gradual refinement of prevention approaches.

Despite these advances, suicide prevention efforts need to focus more on vulnerable populations and adopt an intersectionality-informed perspective. Older adults, adolescents, migrants, and individuals exposed to multiple forms of vulnerability face distinct risk factors and barriers to care. Gender-related differences are particularly relevant. Addressing these challenges requires prevention efforts that are sensitive to the complexity and heterogeneity of vulnerability.

The aim of this Special Issue is to advance the understanding of suicidal behaviors and to promote more effective prevention efforts among vulnerable populations. We welcome theoretical contributions, original research articles, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses that deepen knowledge of suicidal behaviors within these groups and contribute to the development of context-sensitive and evidence-informed prevention and intervention strategies.

Dr. Irene Caro-Cañizares
Dr. Elena Brenlla
Dr. Eva Izquierdo Sotorrío
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Behavioral Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • suicide
  • suicide behaviors
  • suicide prevention
  • vulnerable population
  • elderly
  • adolescence
  • migration
  • social exclusion

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

16 pages, 814 KB  
Article
Age-Related Patterns of Female Suicide in Türkiye: A 15-Year Nationwide Analysis of Reported Reasons and Methods
by Gökmen Karabağ, Volkan Zeybek and Mehmet Sunay Yavuz
Behav. Sci. 2026, 16(4), 490; https://doi.org/10.3390/bs16040490 - 26 Mar 2026
Viewed by 408
Abstract
Suicide is a major public health problem worldwide, and its reported reasons and methods show marked variation by gender and age. Although suicide rates are generally higher among men, suicides among women demonstrate distinct sociodemographic and age-related patterns that remain insufficiently explored. In [...] Read more.
Suicide is a major public health problem worldwide, and its reported reasons and methods show marked variation by gender and age. Although suicide rates are generally higher among men, suicides among women demonstrate distinct sociodemographic and age-related patterns that remain insufficiently explored. In Türkiye, national suicide statistics are available; however, nationwide, age-stratified analyses focusing exclusively on women are limited. This study aimed to investigate long-term trends, age-related differences in reported reasons and methods of suicide among women in Türkiye, and to provide insights relevant to age- and gender-sensitive prevention strategies. This retrospective, nationwide descriptive study analysed female suicide data obtained from the Turkish Statistical Institute between 2009 and 2023. A total of 12,868 female suicide cases were included (mean age 36.5 ± 19.3 years). Data were evaluated according to year, age group, marital status, educational level, suicide cause, and suicide method. Causes and methods were classified based on official administrative categories. Descriptive statistics were calculated, and associations between age groups and suicide causes and methods were assessed using Pearson’s chi-square test. During the 15-year study period, 12,868 women died by suicide in Türkiye. The annual suicide rate ranged from 1.81 to 2.46 per 100,000 population, with the lowest rate observed in 2017 and the highest in 2022. Among all age groups, the most frequent cause of suicide was illness, especially in women aged 45 and older. The proportion of suicides due to illness was 13.9% in the 15–24 age group, 24.6% in 25–34, 41.0% in 45–54, and 42.3% in 55–64 (p < 0.001). Emotional and relationship-related causes were more prevalent among younger women, particularly in the 15–24 age group (4.8%), but declined significantly with age (p < 0.001). Economic hardship was the least cited cause overall, especially among women under 35 (p < 0.001). Regarding methods of suicide, hanging was the most common method in all age groups and increased with age—35.8% in 15–24, 55.1% in 45–54, and 63.5% in 75+ age group (p < 0.001). The use of chemical substances peaked in the 15–24 age group (12.4%) and declined in older women (5.8% in 75+). Firearm use showed a significant inverse relationship with age, from 24.6% in those under 15 to 0.8% in women aged 75 and over (p < 0.001). These age-related differences in both the causes and methods of suicide were statistically significant (p < 0.001). Female suicide in Türkiye exhibits pronounced age-dependent differences in both causes and methods. Illness-related suicides and hanging predominate in older age groups, while younger women show a more diverse pattern of reported reasons and methods. The high prevalence of nonspecific classifications highlights limitations in current suicide reporting systems. These findings underscore the need for improved suicide classification, enhanced surveillance, and age- and gender-sensitive prevention strategies tailored to women across the lifespan. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Suicide Behaviors and Prevention Among Vulnerable Populations)
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