"The last thing you feel is the self-disgust”. the role of self-directed disgust in men who have attempted suicide: a grounded theory study

Mason, David, James, Darren, Andrews, Liz and Fox, John R. E. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3039-8024 2022. "The last thing you feel is the self-disgust”. the role of self-directed disgust in men who have attempted suicide: a grounded theory study. Psychology and Psychotherapy: Theory, Research and Practice 95 (2) , pp. 575-599. 10.1111/papt.12389

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Abstract

Objective Globally, suicide affects more men than women. Emotional pain underpins many theoretical accounts of suicidality, yet little is known about the role of disgust in suicide. Self-directed disgust, whereby aspects of the self-serve as an object of disgust, has been hypothesised to factor in suicide. This research aimed to explore the processes which link self-disgust to attempted suicide in males. Method Nine men who had attempted suicide completed semi-structured interviews. The interview data were analysed using a constructivist grounded theory methodology. Results Three concepts emerged out of the analysis: (1) self-disgust; (2) worthlessness; and (3) the endured emotional distress of ‘the abyss’” – these concepts interweaved, leading the men to experience hopelessness, disconnection and an inability to cope, leading ultimately to their suicide attempt. Throughout this journey, various disgust-related processes worsened men's distress and increased their suicidal risk. Historic adversities prevailed across the data, as did the men's difficulties in understanding their emotions. Conclusion Self-disgust was an important emotion in the men's experiences of suicide and shaped their views of themselves and their lives. The distancing and repellent properties of self-disgust, in addition to the fear of having their ‘disgustingness’ exposed, increased suicidal risk. Self-disgust appeared more pervasive in the suicidality of men with a history of multiple childhood adversities. The limitations of this research are discussed as implications for clinical practice and directions for future research.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Psychology
Additional Information:	This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License
Publisher:	Wiley
ISSN:	2044-8341
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	10 February 2022
Date of Acceptance:	10 February 2022
Last Modified:	09 May 2023 21:51
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/147391

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