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Intolerance to Delayed Reward in Girls with Multiple Suicide Attempts
Author(s) -
Mathias Charles W.,
Dougherty Donald M.,
James Lisa M.,
Richard Dawn M.,
Dawes Michael A.,
Acheson Ashley,
HillKapturczak Nathalie
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
suicide and life‐threatening behavior
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.544
H-Index - 90
eISSN - 1943-278X
pISSN - 0363-0234
DOI - 10.1111/j.1943-278x.2011.00027.x
Subject(s) - impulsivity , disinhibition , gratification , psychology , context (archaeology) , aggression , suicidal behavior , suicide attempt , suicide prevention , poison control , depression (economics) , injury prevention , clinical psychology , sensation seeking , human factors and ergonomics , vulnerability (computing) , developmental psychology , psychiatry , medicine , social psychology , personality , medical emergency , paleontology , macroeconomics , economics , biology , computer security , computer science
Impulsivity has been conceptualized as influencing the expression of suicidal behavior. Adolescence is a developmental period characterized both by a relatively high rate of suicide attempts and a high level of impulsivity. The current study examined two behavioral measures (delay reward and disinhibition) and one self‐report measure of impulsivity among girls with suicide attempt histories. Girls with multiple suicide attempts performed more impulsively on measures of delayed reward, and had higher self‐ratings of depression and aggression than girls with either one or no suicide attempts. The multiple attempter girls’ preference for immediate gratification may directly increase vulnerability to suicidal acts in the context of distressing states or indirectly increase risk by creating poor life experience over time.