Objective: To identify clinical and sociodemographic factors that increase or decrease suicidal risk in a clinical sample of subjects seeking mental health care. Method: A cross-sectional study was performed at three health centers in Santiago, Chile. The Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI), Depressive Experience Questionnaire (DEQ), Outcome Questionnaire (OQ-45.2), Reasons for Living Inventory (RFL), and State Trait Anger Expression Inventory (STAXI-2), in addition to a sociodemographic survey, were applied to 544 participants (333 with suicidal behavior and 211 without current suicidal behavior). Through hierarchical clustering analysis, participants were grouped by similarity regarding suicidal risk. Then, a regression analysis was performed using the Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO) technique, and factors that decrease or increase suicide risk (SR) were identified for each cluster. Results: The resultant clusters were grouped mainly by the age of participants. The most important protective factor was having confidence in one’s own coping skills in difficult situations. Relevant risk factors were major depressive disorder (MDD), poor anger management, and difficulties in interpersonal relationships. Conclusions: Suicidal risk manifests differently throughout the life cycle, and different types of bonds may protect from or increase risk of suicide.

The relationship between depressive experience style, family satisfaction, discomfort in interpersonal relationships, and suicidal behavior was studied in a purposive sample of 405 mental health patients in the Metropolitan Region of Chile. They were classified into high severity suicide attempt, low severity suicide attempt, suicidal ideation, and no suicidal behavior. The instruments used were: DEQ, OQ-45.2, APGAR, RFL, Risk-Rescue Rating Scale, and Suicidal Intent Scale. ANOVA, ?2, and models of mediation and moderation of conditional processes were conducted. The high severity suicide attempt group showed a significant predominance of the dependent style compared with the group without suicidal behavior. There was a high presence of the self-critical style throughout the sample, especially in the suicidal ideation group. The groups with suicide risk had higher dysfunctional rates of interpersonal discomfort and a greater perception of severe family dysfunction than the group without suicidal behavior. Satisfaction with family functioning was observed to influence the intention to die at the time of the suicide attempt. These results underscore the importance of family functioning and interpersonal relationships in suicide risk.

Se estudió la relación entre estilo de vivencia depresiva, satisfacción familiar, malestar en las relaciones interpersonales y conducta suicida en 405 consultantes a salud mental en la Región Metropolitana, Chile, a través de una muestra intencionada. Se clasificaron en: intento de suicidio de alta gravedad, intento de suicidio de baja gravedad, ideación suicida y sin conducta suicida. Se utilizaron los instrumentos DEQ, OQ-45.2, APGAR, RFL, Escala de Riesgo-Rescate y Escala de Intención Suicida. Se realizaron ANOVA, ?2 y modelos de mediación y moderación de procesos condicionales. El grupo con intento suicida de alta gravedad mostró una predominancia del estilo dependiente. Hubo una alta presencia del estilo autocrítico en la muestra total, especialmente en el grupo con ideación suicida. Los grupos con riesgo suicida presentaron mayores índices disfuncionales de malestar interpersonal y una mayor percepción de disfuncionalidad familiar grave que el grupo sin conducta suicida. La satisfacción con el funcionamiento familiar mostró un efecto en la intencionalidad de morir al momento del intento de suicidio. Estos resultados subrayan la importancia del funcionamiento familiar y las relaciones interpersonales en el riesgo suicida.

The article presents an exploratory cross-sectional study of factors associated with suicide risk in 193 patients hospitalized in Chile. The intentional sample included groups of patients displaying: (a) suicide attempt, (b) suicidal ideation, and (c) other psychiatric causes without suicidal manifestations. Using c², a test of proportion differences, and ANOVA, they were compared according to their psychiatric and personality diagnosis and their reasons for living. The results confirm the high association of mood disorder and borderline personality disorder with suicidal manifestations. Although the instrument used, Reasons for Living, has not been validated in Chile, it showed that the group without suicidal manifestations presents more reasons for living than the other groups, that the group with suicide attempt gives more importance to reasons related to the care of close friends, and that the group with suicidal ideation assigns greater importance to the fear of failing in the attempt and going to hell. This appears to indicate the existence of deterrents to suicidal behavior that could differentiate a clinical population with lower and higher suicide risk.

Se presenta un estudio exploratorio transversal de factores asociados al riesgo suicida en 193 pacientes hospitalizados en Chile. La muestra intencionada incluyó grupos de pacientes con: (a) intento de suicidio, (b) ideación suicida y (c) otras causas psiquiátricas sin manifestación suicida. Por medio de c², prueba de diferencia de proporciones y ANOVA, fueron comparados según el diagnóstico psiquiátrico y de la personalidad y las razones para vivir. Los resultados confirman la alta asociación entre trastorno del ánimo y de la personalidad límite con manifestaciones suicidas. Se utilizó la Escala Reasons for Living que, aunque no está validada en Chile, mostró que el grupo sin manifestación suicida presenta mayor cantidad de razones para vivir; el grupo con intento de suicidio le otorga mayor importancia a motivos relacionados con el cuidado de amigos cercanos y el grupo con ideación suicida le otorga mayor importancia al miedo a fallar en el intento e ir al infierno. Esto indicaría que existen motivos disuasivos de la conducta suicida que podrían diferenciar una población clínica con menor y mayor riesgo suicida.