Study to Examine Psychological Processes in Suicidal Ideation and behaviour (STEPPS)

Start date: -
End date: -
Primary investigator: Professor Daryl O’Connor
External co-investigators: Professor Rory O’Connor (University of Glasgow), Professor Ronan O’Carroll (University of Stirling), Professor Eamonn Ferguson (University of Nottingham)

Description

This research project is funded by the US Department of Defense and is led by Professor Daryl O’Connor and is based in our Laboratory for Stress and Health Research. The project is part of a larger programme of research led by Professor Rory O’Connor (University of Glasgow) and has collaborators based at the University of Stirling (Professor Ronan O’Carroll) and University of Nottingham (Professor Eamonn Ferguson).

The aim of the project is to improve understanding of the predictors of suicide. Specifically, in STARlab, we have been exploring the role of stress and associated hormones (eg cortisol) in relation to suicide behaviour. In particular, we have been investigating whether cortisol reactivity stress in the laboratory and in the real world can differentiate individuals who have previously made a suicide attempt from those who had thought about suicide but not made an attempt.