COGNITIVE CHARACTERISTICS OF SUICIDE ATTEMPTERS

Contrasted cognitive characteristics of rigidity, impulsivity, and field dependence in a group of 49 19-59 yr old suicide attempters and a group of 48 19-64 yr old nonsuicidal psychiatric controls. All Ss were administered the same test battery consisting of the Embedded Figures Test, the Alternate Uses Test, and the Matching Familiar Figures Test. The suicide attempt group was characterized by greater rigidity in a divergent thinking task while controlling for age and diagnosis using multivariate analysis. Field dependence was more characteristic of the suicide attempters, but only in the 19-34 age group. Impulsivity did not differentiate the 2 groups. The results are interpreted as supporting a hypothesis of a cognitive predisposition to attempting suicide. (1 p ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved). © 1979 American Psychological Association.