PARENTAL LOSS AND FAMILY VIOLENCE AS CORRELATES OF SUICIDE AND VIOLENCE RISK

Seventy-nine psychiatric inpatients were administered a battery of psy chometric instruments that obtained information about early parental l oss, exposure to family violence, and behavioral problems in themselve s and in their first-degree relatives. These variables were correlated with suicide and violence risk measures. Suicide risk significantly c orrelated with all family variables whereas violence risk correlated w ith behavioral problems both in oneself and in one's first-degree rela tives. Moreover, suicidal and/or violent patients had experienced mate rnal loss significantly more frequently than the nonsuicidal/nonviolen t patients. In the suicidal/violent group, age of patient at death of parents was significantly lower than in the nonsuicidal/nonviolent gro up. Finally, family violence was significantly correlated with behavio ral problems in self and in first-degree relatives. Findings are inter preted according to the authors' theoretical model of aggression regul ation.