Login to Access Video or Poster Abstract: MP29-15
Sources of Funding: NONE

Introduction

Suicide is a significant problem in the general and chronic pain population. Although two studies have examined the prevalence and predictors of suicidal ideation in people suffering from Interstitial Cystitis/Bladder Pain Syndrome (IC/BPS), these studies are limited by their sample selection, assessment of suicidal thinking and behaviour or risk, and the lack of any direct assessment of variables in current theories of suicide. _x000D_ _x000D_ The current study examines the prevalence of suicide risk and the significance of various demographic and biopsychosocial factors that are theoretically implicated in the prediction of suicide risk in an IC/BPS sample.

Methods

Female patients currently suffering from IC/BPS (N=813) were recruited from online support groups and complete an online questionnaire containing measures of demographic, pain, symptoms, and psychosocial variables.

Results

The sample was split into groups of suicide risk, based on an adult general population cut-off score of ?7 for the SBQ-R, creating a not at risk group (n = 503, M = 3.96, SD = 1.11) and an at risk group (n = 310, M = 9.73, SD = 2.65). This data split showed that 310 participants, or 38.1% of the sample, were at risk for suicide. Alternatively, using the more conservative cut-off score of ?8 (based on an adult inpatient population), 233 participants, or 28.7%, were at risk for suicide (see Figure 1). In regression analyses testing empirically/theoretically implicated contributors to suicidal behaviour, exposure to suicide, pain catastrophizing, psychache, hopelessness and perceived burdensomeness were found to significantly predict suicide risk. Further, regressions for low, moderate and severe pain patients groups showed that hopelessness was the strongest predictor of suicide risk in low pain patient group; psychache in the moderate pain group: and perceived burdensomeness in severe pain group.

Conclusions

The high prevalence of suicidality presented in this study denotes the imperative of recognizing suicidality within the IC/BPS population. Further, the identified psychosocial risk factors will be useful in improving screening and to anchor potential treatment targets for suicidality in IC/BPS.

Funding

NONE