An exploratory analysis of the relations between the rate of physiological habituation, the acquired capability for suicide, and acute risk factors for suicide
| Pages | 139-148 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/JACPR-07-2014-0130 |
| Date | 13 July 2015 |
| Published date | 13 July 2015 |
| Author | Phillip N Smith,Caitlin Wolford-Clevenger,Candice N Selwyn,Erin Poindexter,William Lechner,DeMond M. Grant,Kelly C Cukrowicz |
| Subject Matter | Health & social care,Criminology & forensic psychology,Aggression, conflict & peace |
An exploratory analysis of the relations
between the rate of physiological
habituation, the acquired capability for
suicide, and acute risk factors for suicide
Phillip N. Smith, Caitlin Wolford-Clevenger, Candice N. Selwyn, Erin Poindexter,
William Lechner, DeMond M. Grant and Kelly C. Cukrowicz
Dr Phillip N. Smith is Assistant
Professor at the Department of
Psychology, University of South
Alabama, Mobile, Alabama, USA.
Caitlin Wolford-Clevenger
is a Graduate Student
at the Department of
Psychology, University of
Tennessee-Knoxville,
Knoxville, Tennessee, USA.
Candice N. Selwyn is based at
the Department of Psychology,
University of South Alabama,
Mobile, Alabama, USA.
Erin Poindexter is a Graduate
Student at the Department
of Psychology, Texas Tech
University, Lubbock,
Texas, USA.
William Lechner is a Graduate
Student and Dr DeMond M. Grant
is Associate Professor of
Psychology, both at the
Department of Psychology,
Oklahoma State University,
Stillwater, Oklahoma, USA.
Dr Kelly C. Cukrowicz is
Associate Professor at the
Department of Psychology,
Texas Tech University,
Lubbock, Texas, USA.
Abstract
Purpose –The interpersonal theory of suicide proposes that an individual must acquire the capability for
suicide to carry out a near-lethal or lethal suicide attempt. This capability develops via habituation in response
to painful and provocative life events. Some individuals might be more vulnerable to developingthe capability
for suicide because they habituate more quickly to stimuli. The purpose of this paper is to examine the
relations between the rate of physiological habituation and acquired capability, proxies for acquired
capability, and acute risk factors for suicide.
Design/methodology/approach –Depressed, suicidal individuals completed self-report assessments and
a startle reflex task assessing the rate or speed of physiological habituation in response to repeatedbursts of
white noise.
Findings –Slower habituation was associated with hopelessness and negative stressors. The rate of
habituation was not associated with acquired capability.
Originality/value –The current study informs the understanding of how physiological habituation is related
to suicide risk factors.
Keywords Depression, Acquired capability for suicide, Hopelessness, Interpersonal theory of suicide,
Physiological habituation, Suicidal ideation
Paper type Research paper
Suicide is a majorpublic health concern that accountsfor over 39,000 deaths in the USA annually
(Centers for Disease Control (CDC);CDC, C.f.D.C.a.P., 2014). The interpersonal theory of suicide
attempts to explain why people die by suicide (Joiner, 2005). The interpersonal theory has, at its
core, theassumption that there is a distinction betweenthe desire fordeath by and the capabilityfor
suicide (Van Orden et al., 2010). The distinction between the desire for and capability to engage in
lethalself-harm is novelcompared to previoustheories of suicide. Further,this distinctionis critical to
understanding why the majority of thosewho experience suicidalideation and other riskfactors for
suicide, such as depression and hopelessness, never attempt or die by suicide (Pokorny, 1983).
The acquired capability for suicide is a trait-like or relatively static condition involving fearlessness
about death and physical pain tolerance (Smith and Cukrowicz, 2010; Van Orden et al., 2010).
Acquired capability develops independently from the desire for suicide as a result of habituation
to the fear of death and physical pain involved in self-injury and suicide attempts. This habituation
occurs in conjunction with opponent processes, whereby with repeated exposure to a stimulus
Received 14 July 2014
Revised 8 September 2014
Accepted 7 October 2014
DOI 10.1108/JACPR-07-2014-0130 VOL. 7 NO. 3 2015, pp.139- 148,© Emerald Group Publishing Limited, ISSN 1759-6599
j
JOURNAL OF AGGRESSION, CONFLICTAND PEACERESEARCH
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PAG E 13 9
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