Family interaction and suicidal behaviour: a brief review

This paper reviews those research studies which have investigated suicidal behaviour in the context of the family. It is proposed that in families a subculture of distress management develops not from random deviations but from familial and cultural expectations of how distress can be managed. A number of factors are presented indicating suicide potential: a pattern of marked hostility, a pattern of role disturbance and role failure, a process of escalation when developmental crises occur in the management of family life‐cycle transitions, a symbiotic attachment between partners which tolerates no autonomy, an intolerance of crisis, a relationship between the management of crises, family conflict and family organization, suicidal behaviour as a pattern of communication. A family tradition of crisis management by symptoms and the presence of intra‐familial conflict are seen as critical variables.