An Empirical Study on the Applicability of the Virtual Suicide Paradigm in the Chinese Cultural Context:Based on a Sample of College Students
Objective:The virtual suicide paradigm is a translational method used in laboratory to study the causes of suicide.This study aims to explore the applicability of this method within the Chinese cultural context.Methods:A sample of 190 college students was selected to conduct an experiment using the virtual suicide paradigm.Several scales and ques-tionnaires were used to assessed the safety of the virtual suicide paradigm and the ecological validity of virtual suicidal be-havior,including the Suicidal Ideation Scale(SIOSS),Interpersonal Needs Questionnaire(INQ),Brief Barratt Impulsivity Scale(BBIS),Domain Specificity of Risk Scale(DOSPERT),Positive and Negative Emotions Scale(PANAS),Beck Suicidal Ideation Inventory(BSI),Acquired Suicidal Competence-Fearlessness of Dying Scale(FAD),the Brief International Neuro-psychiatric Interview(MINI)-Suicide subscale,and the Suicide Possibility Scale(SPS).Results:Safety aspects:There was no significant difference between groups in suicidal ideation,suicidal ability and suicide risk levels after exposure to virtual suicide scenes and control scenes(P＞0.05).Ecological validity aspects:(1)The realism and suicide relevance scores of virtu-al suicide scenes were significantly greater than 0(P＜0.001),and they evoked higher negative emotions than control scenes(P＜0.00l);(2)The selection rate of virtual suicide behavior was 8.33％;(3)The choice of virtual suicide was affected by sui-cidal ideation(OR=9.875),thwarted belongingness(OR=1.102),perceived burdensomeness(OR=1.154),impulsivity(OR=1.228),and risk taking(OR=1.043).Conclusion:The virtual suicide paradigm has demonstrated favorable attributes in terms of safety and ecological validity,making it suitable for studying the issue of suicide among domestic college students.
SuicideVirtual realityApplicabilityCollege students
万方数据
维普
