Nurses' Attitudes toward Suicide

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine whether nurses' attitudes toward suicide are based on clinical specialty, age, and highest degree completed. A systematic random sample of nurses registered in North Carolina was used. The instrument used was Domino's Suicide Opinion Questionnaire (SOQ), which consists of eight clinical scales. These scales were: suicide reflects mental illness; suicide threats are “not real,” i.e., a cry for help; the right to die; importance of religion; impulsivity; suicide is normal; suicide reflects aggression/anger; and suicide is morally bad. Results from a three-way ANOVA revealed no significant differences between clinical specialty groups on any of the scales. Age and degree were significant only on the right to die scale. Subsequent Tukey's HSD tests on these variables showed that older nurses and those with advanced degrees were more likely to agree with a patient's right to die under some conditions. A descriptive analysis of representative items from each scale was completed, and anecdotal accounts of participants' comments about suicide were explored.