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Objectives: To compare the sociodemographic characteristics of firearms suicide decedents and other suicide decedents in the Republic of Ireland between 1980 and 2005. Study design: A cross-sectional study of sociodemographic characteristics of those who committed suicide with a firearm and those who committed suicide by an alternative method. Methods: Suicide data from 1980 to 2005 inclusive, provided by the Central Statistics Office of Ireland, were analysed. For the purpose of this paper, suicide method was collapsed into two groups: firearm-assisted suicide (FAS) and non-firearm-assisted suicide (n-FAS). Differences in gender, marital status (married vs not married), area of residence (urban vs rural), agri-employment (agri-employed vs not agri-employed) and age were examined between the two groups. A logistic regression is presented using suicide method (FAS vs n-FAS) as the criterion variable and individual factors as predictors. Results: In total, 9674 suicides were recorded from 1 January 1980 to 31 December 2005. Seven hundred and ninety-three of these were FAS and 8881 were n-FAS. For both suicide profiles, the deceased were predominantly male, living in a rural setting and not married. However, this profile was more salient in the FAS group. In comparison with the n-FAS group, a greater proportion of the FAS decedents were male (χ²(1) = 152.5, P < 0.0001, odds ratio (OR) = 4.5, 95% confidence interval (CI) 3.4-6.1), from a rural setting (χ²(1) = 153.5, P< 0.0001, OR = 4.4, 95%CI 3.2-5.6) and agri-employed (χ²(1) = 21.3, P< 0.0001, OR = 1.5, 95%CI 1.3-1.8). FAS decedents were significantly younger than n-FAS victims, although the size of this effect was small (z = -8.4, P < 0.0005, r = -0.1). There was no difference in marital status between the two groups. Conclusions: Risk factors for FAS should inform policy-making in this area, with particular attention paid to protecting young males resident in rural settings. Consideration should be given to targeting agri-employed individuals as a specific at-risk group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The aim of the current study is to investigate the relationship between perceived control, coping and psychological distress among pregnant women in Ireland during the Covid-19 pandemic. It is hypothesised that lower levels of perceived control, greater use of avoidant coping and greater Covid-19 related pregnancy concern will be associated with psychological distress. In addition, it is hypothesised that the relationship between Covid-19 related pregnancy concern and psychological distress will be moderated by perceived control and avoidant coping., Method: The study is cross-sectional, utilizing an online questionnaire, which was completed by 761 women in January 2021. The questionnaire includes measures of perceived control, coping style, perceived stress, anxiety and depression., Results: Correlation analyses found that lower levels of perceived control were associated with higher levels of avoidant coping and psychological distress. There was also a significant positive relationship between avoidant coping and psychological distress. Using multiple regression, perceived control, avoidant coping and Covid-19 related pregnancy concern were found to predict 51% of the variance in psychological distress. However, in the moderation analysis, perceived control and avoidant coping were not found to moderate the relationship between Covid-19 related pregnancy concern and psychological distress., Conclusion: The results from this study suggest that pregnant women in Ireland are experiencing increased levels of psychological distress during the Covid-19 pandemic. The findings also suggest that perceptions of control and avoidant coping are associated with psychological distress in this group and could be used as intervention targets., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM) affects approximately 12% of women. The impact of a diagnosis of GDM may lead to increased stress in pregnancy due to the demands of adherence to a treatment regimen and maternal concern about adverse outcomes for the mother and baby. We examined the psychosocial profile of 25 women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and compared them to 25 non-diabetic pregnant women. Measures administered included the Pregnancy Experiences Scale (PES), the Depression, Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS), the Problem Areas in Diabetes Scale (PAID-5) and the Perceived Social Support Scale (PSSS). The GDM group reported a significantly greater ratio of pregnancy 'hassles' to pregnancy 'uplifts'. The GDM group also had a significantly higher Depression score and were twice as likely to score above the cut-off for possible depression. Elevated levels of diabetes-related distress were found in 40% of women with GDM. In addition, the GDM group reported less social support from outside the family. Our preliminary study indicates that the experience of GDM appears to be associated with increased psychological distress in comparison to the experience of non-diabetic pregnant women. This may indicate the need for psychological screening in GDM and the provision of psychological support in some cases.

The aims of the PRIME study (Prevalence, Impact and Cost of Chronic Pain) were 3-fold: (1) to determine the point prevalence of chronic pain in Ireland; (2) to compare the psychological and physical health profiles of those with and without chronic pain; and (3) to explore a predictive model of pain-related disability. A postal survey of 3136 people was conducted with a representative community-based sample of adults. Measures were obtained for sociodemographic variables, physical and psychological well-being, depressive symptoms, presence of pain, pain severity, pain-related disability, and illness perceptions. Responses were received from 1204 people. The prevalence of chronic pain was 35.5% (95% CI=32.8-38.2) (n=428). No gender difference in prevalence was found. Prevalence of pain increased with age and was associated with manual employment. The most commonly reported site of pain was the lower back (47.6%); however, multiple pain sites was the norm, with more than 80% of participants reporting more than 1 pain site. Approximately 12% of participants were unable to work or were on reduced work hours because of pain. Of those with chronic pain, 15% met the criteria for clinically relevant depression compared with 2.8% of those without pain. A multiple regression analysis, predicting 67% of variance, showed that pain intensity was the strongest predictor of pain-related disability. Depression and illness perceptions were also predictive of pain-related disability, after controlling for the effects of pain intensity. Chronic pain is a prevalent health problem in Ireland and is associated with significant psychological and functional disability. Psychological factors appear to influence the level of pain-related disability., (Copyright © 2011 International Association for the Study of Pain. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

This paper provides a comparison of the socio-demographic profile of hanging suicides and suicides by other means in Ireland from January 1st 1980 to December 31st 2005. Data on 9674 suicides occurring in that time frame was provided by the Central Statistics Office of Ireland (CSO). 4031 (42%) of these deaths involved suicide by 'hanging, suffocation or strangulation' (HSS), with the remainder being suicides by other means. Binary logistic regressions were used to examine six potential risk factors for suicide across the two groups: Gender, marital status, employment in the agricultural sectors, residential location (urban/rural) and age were entered in Block 1 of the analysis, with year of death (pre 1994 vs. post 1994) added in a second block. Results indicate that those dying through hangings were statistically more likely to be male (OR=3.1, 95% CI=2.8-3.5), single (OR=1.3, 95% CI=1.2-1.4), rural-dwelling (OR=1.1, 95% CI=1.0-1.2), agri-employed (OR=1.3, 95% CI=1.1-1.4) and to have died since 1994 (OR=2.3, 95% CI=2.1-2.5). The magnitude of the group effect was moderate for all but the gender and time period comparisons. Hanging suicide victims (m=37.7, sd=16.7) were also significantly younger than other suicide victims (mean=42.72, sd=16.7), although the size of the effect was small (r=.16). Overall the six variables explained 6% of the variance in the criterion variable., (Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd and Faculty of Forensic and Legal Medicine. All rights reserved.)

Background: The firearms climate in Ireland is rapidly changing, and there is currently no research on the risk profiles of those dying through firearms suicides., Aims: To compare the sociodemographic profile of firearms suicide deaths with hanging and drowning suicides., Methods: Analyses are based on data for 9,674 suicides that occurred between 1980 and 2005 and provided by the Central Statistics Office of Ireland (CSO). Risk factors included were gender, place of residence, employment status (agri-employed/not agri-employed), marital status, and age., Results: Those dying by shooting were twice as likely to be male than those dying by hanging (95% CI = 1.5 to 2.6) and 6.7 times more likely than those dying by drowning (95% CI = 4.9 to 9.1). They were also more likely to have resided in a rural location (hanging OR = 3.8, 95% CI = 2.8 to 5.0; drowning OR = 4.2, 95% CI = 3.1 to 5.6) and to have been agri-employed (hanging OR = 1.3, 95% CI = 1.1 to 1.6; drowning OR = 1.4, 95% CI = 1.1 to 1.7). Firearms suicides were significantly younger (H = 458.9, p < .0005). Model fit statistics from logistic regressions are presented. Factors included in the study were limited to those recorded by the CSO., Conclusions: The findings have implications for awareness training for suicide prevention workers and for those concerned with Ireland's increasingly liberal firearms climate.

Until recent years the Republic of Ireland had one of the most restrictive regimes on firearms access with the Irish police (An Garda Siochana) consistently refusing to grant certificates for a wide range of guns including handguns, high calibre rifles and shotguns capable of holding more than three cartridges. In 2004 the High Court ruled that this policy was without legislative backing and since then the police began to issue certificates for firearms where the applicant is not disentitled under law from possessing a gun. Set against this backdrop, this paper explores the consequences of liberal gun regimes in the context of access to firearms by those suffering from mental illness and who pose a threat of parasuicide or suicide. Consideration is given to experiences in other jurisdictions and international research on firearm suicide prevention. Finally some recommendations for changes in legislation, policy and protocol in the Irish context are presented., (2009 Elsevier Ltd and Faculty of Forensic and Legal Medicine. All rights reserved.)