RESEARCH ARTICLE What Interrupts Suicide Attempts in Men: A Qualitative Study

Despite higher rates of suicide in men, there is a dearth of research examining the perspec-tives and experiences of males at risk of suicide, particularly in terms of understanding how interventions can be tailored to men’s specific needs. The current study aimed to examine factors assisting, complicating or inhibiting interventions for men at risk, as well as outlining the roles of family, friends and others in male suicide prevention. Thirty-five male suicide survivors completed one-to-one interviews, and forty-seven family and friends of male sui-cide survivors participated in eight focus groups. Thematic analysis revealed five major themes: (1) development of suicidal behaviours tends to follow a common path associated with specific types of risk factors (disrupted mood, unhelpful stoic beliefs and values, avoi-dant coping strategies, stressors), (2) men at risk of suicide tend to systematically misinter-pret changes in their behaviour and thinking, (3) understanding mood and behavioural changes in men enables identification of opportunities to interrupt suicide progression, (4) distraction, provision of practical and emotional supports, along with professional interven-tion may effectively interrupt acute risk of harm, and (5) suicidal ideation may be reduce