Suicide Research & Data Analysis Flashcards

Which demographic group in the United States consistently shows the highest age-adjusted suicide rate according to CDC data?

Answer: Middle-aged White males (45–64)

Middle-aged White males have consistently shown some of the highest suicide rates in the US, particularly in rural areas, driving a broad public health concern.

What is the primary purpose of a 'sentinel surveillance' system in suicide public health monitoring?

Answer: To collect in-depth data from selected sites rather than attempting complete population coverage

Sentinel surveillance uses strategically selected reporting sites to provide timely, detailed data on trends and risk factors without the cost of universal population surveillance.

In meta-analyses of suicide risk factors, what does a Forest plot primarily display?

Answer: Effect size estimates and confidence intervals from individual studies alongside a pooled summary estimate

A Forest plot visually presents each study's effect size with its 95% confidence interval and combines them into a diamond representing the pooled effect estimate.

The concept of 'lethality' in suicide attempt research most accurately refers to which characteristic?

Answer: The medical severity of injury or potential for death caused by the attempt method

Lethality refers to the objective medical danger posed by the method used, such as degree of tissue damage or physiological disruption, independent of intent.

Which finding from the literature on contagion and suicide clusters is best supported by empirical evidence?

Answer: Exposure to a peer's suicide increases short-term risk among socially connected adolescents

Research consistently shows that exposure to a peer's suicide—especially in adolescent social networks—elevates short-term suicidal behavior among connected individuals.

What does 'positive predictive value' (PPV) mean in the context of a suicide risk screening tool?

Answer: The proportion of individuals who screen positive and actually go on to die by suicide or make an attempt

PPV indicates how often a positive screening result is a true positive—critical for suicide prediction tools because very low PPV means most flagged individuals are not actually at risk.

In Hawton's framework for studying self-harm, what distinguishes 'self-harm' from 'suicide attempt' as research categories?

Answer: Self-harm is defined functionally by intent to harm without necessarily intending to die, while a suicide attempt includes intent to die

Hawton's framework uses intent as the key differentiator: self-harm may or may not involve suicidal intent, while suicide attempt specifically involves intent to end one's life.