Identifying Factors of Suicide Risk via Behavioral Economics for Persons with Alcohol Use

Grants and Contracts Details

Description

PROJECT SUMMARY Factors that lead to suicidal thoughts and behaviors (STBs; i.e., passive or active suicidal ideation, behaviors, plans, gestures, or attempts) are complex. An important factor in suicide deaths and attempts is alcohol use; up to 36% of completed suicides involve acute alcohol use, while those with AUD may account for up to 20-40% of suicides. Despite this relationship, processes that may underlie the two are unclear. A common variable between alcohol use and STBs appears to be behavioral economic decision-making such as delay discounting (i.e., the devaluing of a commodity as a function of time). However, other forms of discounting (i.e., probability; devaluing an outcome based on its likelihood, social; devaluing an outcome based on the closeness of another) have not been explored in their relation to alcohol use and STBs despite their potential relevance to alcohol use and STBs. Probability discounting, considered a proxy of risky choice, should be related to increased alcohol use and more severe STBs due to the inherent risk involved in a suicide attempt. Social discounting, a proxy of altruistic choice, should have relations to broader theories of addiction such as the contextual reinforcer pathology model. Losses of close social supports, through suicide or overdose death, could result in allocation towards further alcohol use, which could affect decision-making and therefore increase suicide risk. Behavioral economic demand (i.e., higher willingness to continue to purchase and consume a commodity at increasing prices) for alcohol may also be an indicator of STBs and suicide risk. Furthermore, behavioral economic decision-making has been predictive of engagement with and success of substance use treatment. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to examine how alcohol use and passive/active suicidal ideation covary over time and also to determine the effectiveness of remote, self-guided CBT4CBT modules for alcohol use and its affect on STBs.
StatusActive
Effective start/end date11/1/2410/15/26

Funding

  • American Foundation for Suicide Prevention: $139,185.00

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