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Risk Factors, Protective Factors and Warning Signs

Suicide can be prevented, and everyone has a role to play. Understanding the risk factors, protective factors, and warning signs for suicide is one important way to help prevent suicides.

As a quick overview:

  • Risk Factors describe the factors that may increase the chance that someone will engage in suicidal behaviour.
  • Protective Factors describe the factors that may decrease the chance that someone will engage in suicidal behaviour.
  • Warning Signs are indications that an individual may currently be struggling with suicidal thoughts or behaviours.

 

We have provided a general list of risk factors, protective factors, and warning signs for suicide below. We encourage those who are interested in toolkits or fact sheets with more detailed information to visit the Centre for Suicide Prevention’s resource library:  https://www.suicideinfo.ca/resources/

Risk Factors

Risk factors for suicide are characteristics, conditions, or experiences that increase the chance that a person will engage in suicidal behaviour. When multiple risk factors outweigh the factors that build resiliency, there is an increased likelihood that a person may think about suicide (Sharam et al., 2021). It is important to remember that no single factor can predict suicide, and the presence of risk factors is different from person to person over their lifetime.

Risk factors for suicide include:

  • Mental disorder or illness, including alcohol or substance misuse or abuse.
  • Previous suicide attempt.
  • Serious, long-term medical condition and/or chronic pain.
  • Trauma, which may include:
    • Violence
    • Victimization, like bullying
    • Childhood abuse or neglect
    • A family death by suicide
    • Events that affect multiple generations of your family.
  • Significant loss, such as:
    • Personal (e.g. loss of a relationship)
    • Social or Cultural (e.g. loss of connection to social or cultural group, practices, or traditions).
    • Financial (e.g. loss of income or assets, such as housing).
  • Major life changes or stressors such as:
    • Unemployment
    • Harassment
    • Discrimination
    • Periods of transition such as retirement or becoming a parent or guardian.
  • Lack of access to or availability of mental health services
  • Personal identity struggles
  • Difficulty with problem-solving or coping with challenging emotions or experiences.

(Government of Canada, 2016; O’Connor, 2021).

Protective Factors

Protective factors for suicide are characteristics or circumstances that may help to decrease a person’s suicide risk by contributing to resiliency. Resiliency can be understood as our ability to handle and recover from the challenges we face in our everyday life (Shahram et al. 2021).

Protective factors and resiliency are growing areas of research in suicide prevention and may not have been studied as thoroughly as risk factors and warning signs of suicide. As such, we’ve provided a general list of protective factors that have been identified in the literature.

Protective factors for suicide

Protective factors exist and are developed on an individual, community, or societal level. While individual refers to personal factors, community factors reflect community experiences that can reduce suicide risk, and societal factors refer to the cultural and environmental features within the broader society.

Individual protective factors include:

  • Good self-esteem or a strong sense of self
  • Having hope for the future and engaging in future planning
  • Effective coping and problem-solving skills
  • Supportive relationships with friends and family
  • Involvement in positive activities

Community protective factors include:

  • Inclusive and safe environments (e.g. schools and neighbourhoods)
  • Feeling connected to school, community, and other social institutions
  • Availability of consistent and culturally sensitive healthcare

Societal protective factors include:

  • Reduced access to lethal means of suicide
  • Cultural, religious, or moral objections to suicide

(Sources:  Fonesca-Pedrero et al., 2022; National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, 2022; Shahram et al., 2021).

Warning Signs

People who die by suicide usually show some indication of warning before their deaths. Warning signs include things that can be seen or heard (e.g. behaviours), but also include things that may be more difficult to observe (e.g. thoughts or feelings). Warning signs are also called invitations for help because that’s what they are!

When someone is displaying warning signs for suicide, it is our invitation to start a caring conversation with them. Recognizing the warning signs for suicide can help us to intervene and keep someone safe from suicide.

Warning Signs (Behaviour):

  • A lack of interest in usual activities or personal appearance.
  • Isolation or withdrawal from family or friends.
  • Engaging in risky or destructive behaviour that is out of character for the person.
  • Changes in sleep habits and appetite, including sleeping more/less or eating more/less.
  • Looking for means or methods of suicide.
  • Talking about a specific suicide plan.
  • A preoccupation with death, including talking or joking about death.
  • Acting irritable or agitated, showing rage.

Warning Signs (Mood/Feelings):

  • Ongoing sadness or indifference.
  • Feelings of helplessness, worthlessness, or hopelessness.
  • Ambivalent or hopeless outlook on the future.
  • Feeling trapped, desperate, or needing to escape an intolerable situation.
  • Feeling like a burden to others.
  • Sudden happiness or calmness after a period of distress.

(Source: Government of Canada, 2022; American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, 2023).

Individuals who have risk factors and show warning signs for suicide should be evaluated for possible suicide risk by a medical doctor or mental health professional.

Remember, if someone is showing warning signs for suicide, also known as invitations for help, you can respond by having a caring conversation.

References 

American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. (2023). Risk factors, protective factors, and warning signs. Accessed from: Risk factors, protective factors, and warning signs | AFSP

Fonesca-Pedrero, E. et al. (2022). Risk and Protective Factors in Adolescent Suicidal Behaviour: A Network Analysis. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.

Government of Canada. (2016). Suicide: risks and prevention. Accessed from: Suicide: risks and prevention – Canada.ca

Government of Canada (2022). Preventing suicide: Warning signs and how to help. Accessed from: Preventing suicide: Warning signs and how to help – Canada.ca

National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. (2022). Risk and Protective Factors. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Accessed from: https://www.cdc.gov/suicide/factors/index.html

O’Connor, Rory. (2021). When it is Darkest: Why People Die by Suicide and What We Can Do to Prevent It. Vermillion.

Shahram, S. et al. (2020). Promoting “Zest for Life”: A Systematic Literature review of Resiliency Factors to Prevent Youth Suicide. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 31(1), 4-24.