About this Research Topic
Annual worldwide estimates regarding death by suicide range from nearly 800,000 to over 1,000,000 individuals. Also, it is estimated that over 37.5 million years are lost each year due to poor health and early death related to suicidal behavior. Indeed, suicide is a leading cause of death due to injury, and in the United States, it is the leading cause of death due to injury.
Although depression and hopelessness are commonly acknowledged as important predictors of suicidal behavior, psychache, when included in data-driven studies, has been found likely to be a stronger predictor. While religiousness has been found to be an important protective factor against suicidal behavior, related aspects of positive psychology (e.g., forgiveness, spirituality (broadly construed), and social support are emerging as important protective factors. A focused examination of associations among psychache, forgiveness, spirituality, and social support, is critical in our efforts to reduce suicide and suicidal behavior.
Much research has focused on depression and hopelessness as particular risk factors for suicidal behavior. While theory and research have shown that psychache also is an important risk factor – and possibly a stronger risk factor – much less attention has been paid to psychache in the empirical literature. Similarly, religiousness (e.g., religious belief and church attendance) has received considerable attention and support as protective against suicidal behavior. However, related variables such as broader aspects of spirituality (e.g., forgiveness, and Existential Spirituality, or a non-theistic, yet transcendent search for meaning and purpose) and social support (often an important mechanistic variable in the association of spirituality and forgiveness with health-related outcomes, including suicidal behavior) are also important, but have received much less attention. Spirituality, forgiveness, and social support are in need of much more focused research attention so that we can fully understand their likely critical contribution to the prevention of suicidal behavior.
This Research Topic is open to any submissions related to suicidal behavior and psychache, and in the context of forgiveness, spirituality, and social support. Addressing the construct of psychache can include related constructs such as mental pain, psychological pain, excessive shame, etc. Spirituality can include other related aspects of positive psychology such as gratitude, hope, compassion, etc. Social support can either be employed in a direct fashion, or as a mechanistic variable. Also, examination of other intervening variables in the context of the aforementioned primary variables is also welcome.
To reiterate, this Research Topic is focused on connections between variables generally related to forgiveness (e.g., forgiveness of others, self-forgiveness, divine forgiveness, seeking forgiveness, etc.), suicidality (e.g., ideation, attempts, etc.) or non-suicidal self-injury (e.g., cutting, burning, etc.), and psychache (or related constructs such as mental pain, psychological pain, hopelessness, excessive shame, guilt, moral injury, etc.), rather than just one of these variables.
Types of articles we welcome: Original Research, Systematic Review, Brief Research Report, Hypothesis and Theory, Community Case study, Cross-Sectional Research, Intervention Research, Longitudinal Research, Registered Report.
Although depression and hopelessness are commonly acknowledged as important predictors of suicidal behavior, psychache, when included in data-driven studies, has been found likely to be a stronger predictor. While religiousness has been found to be an important protective factor against suicidal behavior, related aspects of positive psychology (e.g., forgiveness, spirituality (broadly construed), and social support are emerging as important protective factors. A focused examination of associations among psychache, forgiveness, spirituality, and social support, is critical in our efforts to reduce suicide and suicidal behavior.
Much research has focused on depression and hopelessness as particular risk factors for suicidal behavior. While theory and research have shown that psychache also is an important risk factor – and possibly a stronger risk factor – much less attention has been paid to psychache in the empirical literature. Similarly, religiousness (e.g., religious belief and church attendance) has received considerable attention and support as protective against suicidal behavior. However, related variables such as broader aspects of spirituality (e.g., forgiveness, and Existential Spirituality, or a non-theistic, yet transcendent search for meaning and purpose) and social support (often an important mechanistic variable in the association of spirituality and forgiveness with health-related outcomes, including suicidal behavior) are also important, but have received much less attention. Spirituality, forgiveness, and social support are in need of much more focused research attention so that we can fully understand their likely critical contribution to the prevention of suicidal behavior.
This Research Topic is open to any submissions related to suicidal behavior and psychache, and in the context of forgiveness, spirituality, and social support. Addressing the construct of psychache can include related constructs such as mental pain, psychological pain, excessive shame, etc. Spirituality can include other related aspects of positive psychology such as gratitude, hope, compassion, etc. Social support can either be employed in a direct fashion, or as a mechanistic variable. Also, examination of other intervening variables in the context of the aforementioned primary variables is also welcome.
To reiterate, this Research Topic is focused on connections between variables generally related to forgiveness (e.g., forgiveness of others, self-forgiveness, divine forgiveness, seeking forgiveness, etc.), suicidality (e.g., ideation, attempts, etc.) or non-suicidal self-injury (e.g., cutting, burning, etc.), and psychache (or related constructs such as mental pain, psychological pain, hopelessness, excessive shame, guilt, moral injury, etc.), rather than just one of these variables.
Types of articles we welcome: Original Research, Systematic Review, Brief Research Report, Hypothesis and Theory, Community Case study, Cross-Sectional Research, Intervention Research, Longitudinal Research, Registered Report.
Keywords: Suicide, Suicidal Behavior, Psychache, Forgiveness, Spirituality, Positive Psychology
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
