Rory C O'Connor

Rory C O'Connor
University of Glasgow | UofG · Institute of Health and Wellbeing

BSc PhD CPsychol AFBPsS FAcSS

About

311
Publications
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Introduction
Rory O'Connor leads the Suicidal Behaviour Research Laboratory (SBRL) at the University of Glasgow (www.suicideresearch.info). He has been conducting research into suicide and self-harm since 1994 and he established the SBRL (originally named SBRG) in 2003. It has an international reputation for conducting high quality, theoretically-grounded and innovative research and it is the leading suicide and self-harm research group in Scotland.

Publications

Publications (311)
Article
Background Suicide is a global health concern. In the United Kingdom, Scotland has the highest suicide rate. Lived experience and suicide prevention stakeholders in Scotland have identified a key gap in suicide prevention activities: the lack of 24-hour peer-driven web-based support for people who are suicidal. Objective This usability study aimed...
Article
Full-text available
Self-harm is when someone hurts themselves on purpose, regardless of the reasons for doing this. Often, shame and stigma stop people from seeking help. Self-harming behaviour increases the risk of death by suicide, and it is a common cause of disability in young people. Currently, people attending health services only represent the tip of the icebe...
Article
Full-text available
Self-harm is when someone hurts themselves on purpose, regardless of the reasons for doing this. Often, shame and stigma stop people from seeking help. Self-harming behaviour increases the risk of death by suicide, and it is a common cause of disability in young people. Currently, people attending health services only represent the tip of the icebe...
Article
Feelings of entrapment—posited to arise when attempts to escape from defeating or humiliating circumstances are blocked—may confer increased risk for psychopathology and suicidal thoughts and behaviors (STB), particularly among minoritized individuals who often have more frequent exposure to such experiences. Including entrapment in empirical model...
Article
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Introduction Suicidal ambivalence is increasingly understood as the result of the interplay of two conflicting motivational orientations, the wish to die (WTD) and wish to live (WTL). However, research is scarce regarding the nature of their relationship, their temporal structure, and their relevance in predicting suicidal desire. Methods Fifty ps...
Preprint
BACKGROUND The Integrated Motivational-Volitional (IMV) model is one of the leading theoretical models of suicidal thoughts and behaviour. There has been a recent proliferation in the assessment of suicidal and non-suicidal self-harm thoughts and behaviours (SHTBs) in daily life. OBJECTIVE This systematic review synthesises evidence from ecologica...
Article
Background The integrated motivational-volitional model (IMV) is one of the leading theoretical models of suicidal thoughts and behavior. There has been a recent proliferation in the assessment of suicidal and nonsuicidal self-harm thoughts and behaviors (SHTBs) in daily life. Objective This systematic review synthesized evidence from ecological m...
Article
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Background Childhood adversity is associated with increased later mental health problems and suicidal behaviour. Opportunities for earlier healthcare identification and intervention are needed. Aim To determine associations between hospital admissions for childhood adversity and mental health in children who later die by suicide. Method Populatio...
Article
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This study addresses our limited understanding of male suicide risk psychology. 2763 men participated in a global survey examining associations between suicidal history and measures of emotions, psychological pain, feelings towards self, and in-terpersonal connections. Results from multinomial logistic regression analyses indicated that higher leve...
Article
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Suicidal ideation fluctuates over time, as does its related risk factors. Little is known about the difference or similarities of the temporal patterns. The current exploratory secondary analysis examines which risk symptoms have similar time dynamics using a mathematical algorithm called dynamic time warping (DTW). Ecological momentary assessment...
Article
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Psychological variables substantially shape the risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviours (STBs). However, it is unclear to what extent they are considered in individuals with cancer. We synthesized the quantitative research landscape concerning psychological risk/protective factors of STBs in the (psycho-) oncological context. This pre-registered...
Preprint
BACKGROUND Suicide is a global health concern. In the United Kingdom, Scotland has the highest suicide rate. Lived experience and suicide prevention stakeholders in Scotland have identified a key gap in suicide prevention activities: the lack of 24-hour peer-driven web-based support for people who are suicidal. OBJECTIVE This usability study aimed...
Article
Full-text available
Male suicide rates represent a public health crisis. In almost every country, more men die by suicide than women and suicide is a leading cause of death for men in the United States and the United Kingdom. Evidence suggests that men are less likely than women to access professional support for suicidal distress. Ensuring more men access support is...
Article
In this editorial we, as members of the 2022 NICE Guideline Committee, highlight and discuss what, in our view, are the key guideline recommendations (generated through evidence synthesis and consensus) for mental health professionals when caring for people after self-harm, and we consider some of the implementation challenges.
Article
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Purpose of review: This systematic review aimed to distil recent literature investigating psychosocial factors which may account for the association between personality disorder (PD) and suicide attempt or suicide death. Recent findings: Suicide risk is particularly elevated in people with PD compared to those with no, or many other, mental heal...
Article
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Background Participant feedback is an important consideration for increasing intervention acceptability, yet whether incorporating such feedback actually improves acceptability is rarely tested. Purpose The present study describes a theory-based approach to assessing whether refining an intervention based on participant feedback increases acceptab...
Article
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Background: Suicidal ideation (SI) is a significant and long-lasting mental health problem, with a third of individuals still experiencing SI after two years. To date, most Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) studies of SI have assessed its day-to-day course over one to four consecutive weeks and found no consistent trends in average SI severity...
Article
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Introduction Screening can reduce deaths from colorectal cancer (CRC). Despite high levels of public enthusiasm, participation rates in population CRC screening programmes internationally remain persistently below target levels. Simple behavioural interventions such as completion goals and planning tools may support participation among those inclin...
Article
Background: The use of latent class analysis (LCA) to understand suicide risk is often not guided by theoretical frameworks. This study used the Integrated Motivational-Volitional (IMV) Model of Suicidal Behaviour to inform the classification of subtypes of young adults with a suicidal history. Methods: Data from young adults in Scotland (n = 35...
Article
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Introduction: The current study explored whether camouflaging autistic traits is associated with defeat and entrapment and lifetime suicidal thoughts, as predicted by the Integrated Volitional Model of Suicide (IMV model). Methods: 180 UK undergraduate students (76.7% female 18-67 years) completed a cross-sectional online survey from February 5...
Article
Globally, too many people die prematurely from suicide and the physical comorbidities associated with mental illness and mental distress. The purpose of this Review is to mobilise the translation of evidence into prioritised actions that reduce this inequity. The mental health research charity, MQ Mental Health Research, convened an international p...
Article
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Background Suicide prevention is a national priority for the UK government. Autistic people are at greater risk of experiencing self-harm and suicidal thoughts and behaviours than the general population. Safety plans are widely used in suicide prevention but have not yet been designed with and for autistic people. We developed the first safety plan...
Article
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It is well established that mental health problems are highly recurrent and persistent from childhood to adolescence, but less is known to what extent mental health problems also persist from adolescence into young adulthood. The aim of the current study was therefore to examine the chronicity and risk of mental health problems and suicidality from...
Preprint
Abstract Background Childhood adversity (CA) is associated with increased later mental health (MH) problems and suicidal behaviour. Opportunities for earlier healthcare identification and intervention are needed. Aim To determine associations between hospital admissions for CA and MH in children who later die by suicide. Method Population-based...
Article
Full-text available
Over 703,000 people die by suicide every year. The association between loneliness and self-injurious thoughts and behaviours has received increasing amounts of attention, with a significant link consistently being identified. However the impact that different types of loneliness have on physical and mental health remains under-researched. The curre...
Article
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Mental health smartphone apps could increase the safety and self-management of patients at risk of suicide, but it is still unclear whether it is feasible to integrate such apps into routine mental healthcare. This study reports on the feasibility of using a safety planning app (BackUp) and a self-monitoring app (mEMA) as components of the routine...
Article
Objectives There have been numerous qualitative studies into the impact of the death of a patient by suicide on clinicians, but the majority of studies have focussed on psychiatrists and psychologists, primarily in inpatient or secondary care settings. To date, little has been done to explore the impact of such deaths on other mental health practit...
Article
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Objective Colorectal screening using faecal immunochemical tests (FITs) can save lives if the people invited participate. In Scotland, most people intend to complete a FIT but this is not reflected in uptake rates. Planning interventions can bridge this intention-behaviour gap. To develop a tool supporting people willing to do colorectal screening...
Conference Paper
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Objectives Childhood adversity (CA) carries an increased risk of developing later mental health (MH) problems and suicidal behaviour. This study aimed to summarise lifetime hospital attendances for CA and MH in young people who later died by suicide. ApproachThis study is a retrospective longitudinal case control study. Lifetime Scottish inpatient...
Article
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Cognitive behavioural therapists based in primary care are not usually expected to provide therapy to acutely suicidal individuals or work directly on suicidal thoughts. However, all practitioners should be vigilant about suicide risk and potentially help to reduce vulnerabilities to future suicide risk as part of their routine work. Many of the ri...
Article
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Background A previous suicide attempt is an important predictor of future suicide. However, there are no evidence-based interventions administered in UK general hospital contexts to reduce suicidal behaviour in patients admitted following a suicide attempt. Consequently, the objective of this pilot randomised controlled trial was to explore whether...
Preprint
Background As part of the COVID-19 pandemic, a huge amount of information has been shared to keep people informed about health-related and other topics. While information-seeking has generally been seen as an adaptive response to the pandemic, it can result in negative outcomes including on mental health. The present study reports longitudinal data...
Article
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Background Waves 1 to 3 (March 2020 to May 2020) of the UK COVID-19 Mental Health and Wellbeing study suggested an improvement in some indicators of mental health across the first 6 weeks of the UK lockdown; however, suicidal ideation increased. Aims To report the prevalence of mental health and well-being of adults in the UK from March/April 2020...
Article
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Suicide is a leading public health concern. Research studies have identified significant associations between loneliness and suicidal ideation/behaviour both cross-sectionally and prospectively. Despite this, research specifically focusing on identifying the nature of loneliness experienced prior to suicide, and the role it has in association with...
Preprint
Background The COVID-19 pandemic has been associated with psychological distress. In addition to physical effects including fatigue and cognitive impairment, contracting COVID-19 itself may also be related to subsequent negative mental health outcomes. The present study reports data from a longitudinal, national survey of the UK adult population, i...
Article
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Background: The lasting effects of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic are likely to be significant. Aims: This study tracked worry and rumination levels during the pandemic and investigated whether periods with higher COVID-related worry and rumination were associated with more negative mental health and loneliness. Methods: A quota survey...
Article
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Objectives: This study provides an in-depth understanding of the impact of physical distancing restrictions and other quarantining measures during the first 6 months of the COVID-19 pandemic on physical and mental health and well-being. Design: Longitudinal qualitative research using semistructured interviews at two time points (21 May to 10 Jun...
Article
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Suicide prevention is an important public mental health issue that can be significantly brought forward by recent advances in psychological research methods and assessment. The project “TempRes” aims to harness the power of Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) to investigate the transdiagnostic risk and resilience factors associated with suicidal...
Article
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Background The aim of the study was to crystallize the nature of relationships between impulsivity, aggression, and suicidality. We reviewed studies of adults with published, psychometric measures of impulsivity and aggression, and measures of suicidality. Methods Our primary data source was Web of Science (from inception to 31st December 2021). Q...
Article
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Background Autism and autistic traits are risk factors for suicidal behaviour. Aims To explore the prevalence of autism (diagnosed and undiagnosed) in those who died by suicide, and identify risk factors for suicide in this group. Method Stage 1: 372 coroners’ inquest records, covering the period 1 January 2014 to 31 December 2017 from two region...
Article
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Background Relatively little is known about the characteristics of people living in the community who have previously self-harmed and may benefit from interventions during and after COVID-19. We therefore aimed to: (a) examine the relationship between reported self-harm and COVID-19-related fear, and (b) describe the characteristics of a community...
Article
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Objective The COVID-19 pandemic has had a devastating impact on higher education, with the closure of student campuses. The aim of this study was to examine changes and prevalence of mental health problems, suicidal ideation and suicidal behaviour, and their associations with COVID-19-related restrictions. Design, setting and participants As part...
Article
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Background Previous research has highlighted the importance of understanding which psychosocial factors distinguish between those with suicide thoughts compared to those who attempt suicide. This study aims to investigate these distinguishing factors further within an ideation-to-action framework and to explore sex differences in suicide risk. Met...
Chapter
This practical book covers issues related to suicide risk, prevention and postvention in Higher and Further Education communities. Compiled by 37 experts, it is an authoritative guide to an issue that is causing increasingly large concern for FE and HE institutions and covers multiple evidence-backed approaches with a pragmatic focus. It is the fir...
Article
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Background: To date little has been done to evaluate the effectiveness of suicide risk formulation training. Aims: We aimed to investigate the psychometric properties of a new scale measuring clinicians' confidence in assessing, formulating, and managing suicide risk. Method: A total of 128 mental health practitioners from an UK National Health Ser...
Article
Self-harm is a major public health concern. In order to respond to self-harm effectively, it is important to understand the factors associated with self-harm with and without suicidal intent. To this end, we investigated psychological factors selected from the Integrated Motivational-Volitional (IMV) model of suicidal behaviour in individuals who h...
Article
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Background : The COVID-19 pandemic has had an impact on the mental health of healthcare and social care workers, and its potential effect on suicidal thoughts and behaviour is of particular concern. Methods : This systematic review identified and appraised the published literature that has reported on the impact of COVID-19 on suicidal thoughts an...
Article
Full-text available
Background The volitional help sheet (VHS) for self-harm equips people with a means of responding automatically to triggers for self-harm with coping strategies. Although there is some evidence of its efficacy, improving acceptability and making the intervention available in a web-based format may be crucial to increasing effectiveness and reach. O...
Article
Suicide is a global health issue. Dysregulated hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activity, as measured by cortisol levels, has been identified as one potential risk factor. Evidence is emerging to suggest that different psychological factors may be associated with increased resilience and vulnerability in this context. The current study inv...
Article
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Importance Self-harm is a risk factor for suicide in adolescents, with the prevalence highest in young people in group and residential care programs. Although no established risk factors for self-harm exist, adolescents who self-harm may have decreased pain sensitivity, but this has not been systematically investigated. Objective To assess somatos...
Preprint
Background: The lasting effects of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic are likely to be significant, particularly in regard to mental health and wellbeing. The current study aimed to track worry and rumination (perseverative cognition) levels during the COVID-19 pandemic and to investigate whether periods with higher COVID-related worr...
Article
Full-text available
Suicide is a worldwide public health concern claiming approximately 800,000 lives around the world every year. The impact of loneliness on mental and physical wellbeing has received increasing attention in recent years, however its role in the emergence of self-injurious thoughts and behaviours is unclear. The current study explored loneliness in r...
Article
Full-text available
Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has caused considerable morbidity, mortality and disruption to people’s lives around the world. There are concerns that rates of suicide and suicidal behaviour may rise during and in its aftermath. Our living systematic review synthesises findings from emerging literature on incidence and prevalence of suicidal beh...
Article
Full-text available
Suicidal behaviour is a complex phenomenon—its aetiology spans biological, psychological, environmental, social and cultural facets. Men’s deaths by suicide outnumber women in every country in the world. This study explored the male experience of suicide attempts and recovery as well as factors which may be protective for men. Men (n = 12) particip...
Article
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Background Safety planning-type interventions (SPTIs) for patients at risk of suicide are often used in clinical practice, but it is unclear whether these interventions are effective. Aims This article reports on a meta-analysis of studies that have evaluated the effectiveness of SPTIs in reducing suicidal behaviour and ideation. Method We search...
Article
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Summary Background The COVID-19 pandemic is having profound mental health consequences for many people. Concerns have been expressed that, at their most extreme, these consequences could manifest as increased suicide rates. We aimed to assess the early effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on suicide rates around the world. Methods We sourced real-time s...
Article
Full-text available
In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, the swift response of mental health research funders and institutions, service providers, and academics enabled progress toward understanding the mental health consequences. Nevertheless, there remains an urgent need to understand the true extent of the short- and long-term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on m...
Preprint
BACKGROUND The volitional help sheet (VHS) for self-harm equips people with a means of responding automatically to triggers for self-harm with coping strategies. Although there is some evidence of its efficacy, improving acceptability and making the intervention available in a web-based format may be crucial to increasing effectiveness and reach....
Article
Rationale Suicides by men outnumber those by women in every country of the world. To date, there has not been a comprehensive systematic review of risk factors for suicidal behaviour in men to better understand the excess deaths by suicide in men. Objective The present systematic review seeks to determine the nature and extent of the risk factors...
Article
Background Evidence-based theoretical models outlining the pathways to the development of suicidal ideation may inform treatment. The current research draws from the Interpersonal Theory of Suicide (IPT) and the Integrated Motivational-Volitional (IMV) Model of suicidal behaviour and aims to test the interaction between perceived burdensomeness and...
Chapter
Around 800,000 people take their own lives annually, impacting families, communities, health professionals and the society in general, a picture that reveals the urgent need for better ways of understanding and preventing suicides. The current article provides an overview of suicide risk, clinical assessment and intervention across four main parts:...
Article
Full-text available
Objectives This study aimed to identify demographic and psychological predictors of seasonal influenza vaccination intentions and behaviour among a sample of inpatients in a secure forensic mental health service. It also sought to explore patient experiences about being offered the vaccine. Design This study used a mixed-methods design. The quanti...