The Association between Neuroticism and Re-Attempted Suicide

Background: Strong evidence suggests that suicide attempters who repeatsuicide (re-attempters) may differ from those with a single attempt (singleattempters) in various clinical and sociodemographic factors. Furthermore, thereis some evidence that re-attempters may be characterized by higher levels ofneuroticism, a well-known risk factor for completed suicide compared to singleattempters.Purpose: The aim of the present study was to investigate the possibleassociation between neuroticism and re-attempted suicide.Methods and Materials: 230 recent drug-free suicide attempters wereinvolved into the study. Clinical diagnoses were assessed by the Diagnosticand Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Third Edition-Revised (DSM-III-R).Personality traits were measured by the Karolinska Scale of Personality (KSP).Results and Conclusions: There was a significant association betweenre-attempted suicide, female gender, personality disorder and higher levelsof impulsivity. We found that re-attempters had significantly higher levels ofneuroticism compared to single attempters adjusted of gender, personalitydisorder diagnosis, age and impulsivity. Our result gives further evidence for theassociation between re-attempted suicide and neuroticism