Assessment of coping strategies in a sample of risky suicidal Egyptian psychiatric outpatients

Objective
To assess coping strategies in a sample of risky suicidal Egyptian psychiatric outpatients.
Participants and methods
A total of 150 patients were selected from the psychiatry outpatient clinic; all patients were diagnosed according to the ICD-10 research diagnostic criteria. Patients were subjected to the Tool for the Assessment of Suicide Risk (TASR) and the Coping Inventory.
Results
The mean age of the patients with a high suicide risk was 35.5΁ 12.1; 40% had been diagnosed with an affective disorder, 27.3% with schizophrenia, schizotypal, and delusional disorders, 10.7% with other mental disorders because of brain damage, dysfunction, and physical disease, 8% with mental and behavioral disorders because of psychoactive substance use, 6% with neurotic, stress-related and somatoform disorders, 4.7% with disorders of adult personality and behavior, and 3.3% with other psychiatric disorders including organic mental disorders (dementia) and mild mental retardation. High and moderate risks of suicide were higher in men, 59.6 and 62.7%, respectively. Patients with scholastic education and unemployed patients were found to be significantly higher in both high and moderate suicide risk in comparison to patients with high education and employed patients, respectively. A statistically significant difference was found among single patients than separated, divorced, and widowed groups on moderate TASR. The diagnosis of affective disorders and schizophrenia, schizotypal, and delusional disorders was significantly higher on moderate and low TASR. Patients with a gradual/insidious onset scored significantly higher on all three groups of TASR. The mean duration of psychiatric disorders for a high suicide risk was 8.5 ΁ 8.16 years. Patients with a positive history of suicidal attempts and those who had made violent suicidal attempts scored significantly higher on both high and moderate suicide risk. Patients who had attempted one suicidal attempt scored significantly higher in high, moderate, and low TASR scores. Patients who used an active cognitive coping method scored significantly higher in high, moderate, and low suicide risk scores compared with the avoidance coping method.
Conclusion
The most frequently used coping method was active cognitive coping; also, patients showed a significantly higher suicide risk compared with the avoidance coping method. A cognitive positive understanding strategy (a subtype of active cognitive coping) scored significantly higher on high, moderate, and low suicide risk in comparison with passive resignation.