Suicide and Personality: Focus on Old Age

Suicide is one of the leading causes of death worldwide, mortality from suicide being approximately 2%. Attempted suicide appears to be a major risk factor for suicide completion. Anger, aggression and impulsivity are personality traits associated with suicide attempt. We analysed anger, impulsivity and temperament/character scales as predictors of aggression and self-aggression in suicide attempters and compared this to anger- and aggression-related traits between impulsive and premeditated suicide attempts as well as between violent and non-violent suicide methods.The State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory (STAXI), the Questionnaire for Measuring Factors of Aggression (FAF), and the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI) were assessed.Higher aggression scores, as measured by FAF, were predicted by being male, meeting criteria for borderline personality disorder and having higher angry temperament scores as assessed by STAXI. TCI dimensions associated with self-aggression were high harm avoidance, high impulsivity and low selfdirectedness.State anger, inwardly directed anger and inhibition of aggression were also predictors of self-aggression.In conclusion, impulsivity and harm avoidance have emerged as temperament dimensions independently associated with self-aggressive tendencies in personality. Such interactions could explain the correlation between temperament and suicidality but further research is needed. Anger and selfdirectedness appear to have some effects on suicide attempt.