Men and suicide prevention: a scoping review

Background: Male suicide rates are higher than their female counterparts in almost every country around the world. Several developed countries have attempted to implement suicide prevention programmes, but few have specifically targeted men. Aims: To identify what is currently known about suicide prevention strategies, programmes, and interventions of relevance to men. Method: A scoping review guided by Arksey and O'Malley’s five-stage framework. Results: Twenty-two studies were included. Thematic analysis identified three categories: (i) male suicide prevention interventions; (ii) factors or coping strategies that interrupt the suicidal process in men; (iii) men’s perspectives on service provision. Interventions included awareness campaigns; training of community “gatekeepers”; psychological support; and educational initiatives targeted to either GPs or depressed or suicidal men. Men emphasised the need to receive support from a trusted and respected individual, preferably in an informal setting. Connecting with others, reframing help-seeking as masculine, and the use of emotional regulation techniques were all identified as factors with potential to interrupt the suicidal process. Conclusions: This review demonstrates the need for further research examining the perspectives of suicidal middle-aged men and their close family and friends.

研究背景：全球几乎所有国家的男性自杀率均高于女性。部分发达国家已尝试推行自杀预防项目，但鲜有专门针对男性群体的相关举措。
研究目的：明确当前学界针对男性的自杀预防策略、项目及干预手段的相关研究进展。
研究方法：本研究采用Arksey与O'Malley提出的五阶段框架开展范围综述（scoping review）。
研究结果：本研究共纳入22项相关研究。通过主题分析共提炼出三大类别：(1) 男性自杀预防干预手段；(2) 可阻断男性自杀进程的影响因素或应对策略；(3) 男性对自杀预防服务提供的视角与看法。干预手段涵盖自杀认知宣传活动、社区“守门人”培训、心理支持，以及针对全科医生（General Practitioners）或抑郁/有自杀倾向男性的教育项目。男性群体强调，需要从值得信任且受尊重的个体处获得支持，且最好是在非正式场景中。研究同时发现，与他人建立联结、将求助行为重塑为符合男性气质的行为，以及运用情绪调节技巧，均具备阻断自杀进程的潜在价值。
研究结论：本范围综述表明，未来仍需开展针对有自杀倾向的中年男性及其亲密家人与朋友的视角相关研究。