TEMPERAMENTAL VULNERABILITY IN ATTEMPTED-SUICIDE

The aim of this study was to explore and describe features of suicidal temperament and to describe the psychological domains of vulnerabilit y in attempted suicide. Thirty-two suicide attempters were compared wi th 32 sex- and age-matched convalescent surgical controls on self-repo rt personality inventories; the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire, the Chapman Scales, the Beck Hopelessnes Scale and the Karolinska Scales of Personality. Suicide attempters showed higher scale scores on neuro ticism, psychoticism, interpersonal aversiveness, perceptual aberratio n, nonconformity, hopelessness, somatic anxiety, muscular tension, ind irect aggression, suspicion and lower socialization. The features of s uicidal temperament include hopelessness and anhedonia, anxiety, hosti lity and undirected anger expression, psychosis proneness, antisocial traits and interpersonal difficulties. These temperamental features mi ght render the suicidal individual particularly vulnerable to suicidal behavior.