In most developed nations, demise by suicide is extra frequent in males than females, at round a thrice greater charge (Lengvenyte et al, 2021; Turecki et al, 2019; Fazel et al, 2020). Regardless of the disparity in charges of suicide, analysis and subsequent interventions haven’t led to important developments within the means to foretell suicide, nor adequately intervene.
A evaluate of qualitative research from Bennett et al (2023, earlier Psychological Elf weblog) highlighted that understanding masculine norms could also be a key consider male suicide prevention. Inside this, interpersonal disconnection, isolation and loneliness, and interpersonal challenges and dysregulation had been highlighted as key themes that had been reported all through the literature. Many of those associated to relationship troubles or breakdowns. A second systematic evaluate, exploring these associations quantitatively, had comparable findings (Richardson et al, 2021, earlier Psychological Elf weblog) suggesting the absence or breakdown of a romantic relationship could also be a threat issue for future suicide threat.
This weblog summarises a current systematic evaluate (Wilson et al, 2025) aiming to synthesise proof on associations between relationship breakdowns and the danger of suicidal ideation, suicidal try and demise by suicide in males.
May relationship breakdowns be a threat issue for suicide in males?
Strategies
The authors used a number of databases (APA PsycInfo, Embase, MEDLINE, CINAHL, Scopus, Internet of Science, ProQuest Central) to seek for papers investigating suicidal ideation, tried suicide or demise by suicide in males following a relationship breakdown. Wilson et al looked for papers after the yr 2000 to discover up to date proof. Searches had been up to date in October 2023 to make sure proof was updated.
Research had been included in the event that they met the next eligibility standards:
- Had been of any methodological technique or research design performed in any nation
- Had been performed in males (inclusive of transgender males) or had gender particular analyses
- Reported associations between indicators of relationship breakdown and suicidal ideation, suicide try, or demise by suicide
- Had been printed in a peer-reviewed journal in English (unpublished literature not included in evaluate)
Two instruments had been used to evaluate the standard of the research included; one for quantitative strategies (Nationwide Coronary heart Lung and Blood Institute) and the opposite for qualitative research (Important Appraisal Abilities Programme). Full-text screening, information extraction and research high quality had been carried out by one writer solely, with twin screening performed for 30% of the full data on the title and summary stage. Authors of every paper had been contacted to determine eligibility or present further information, the place crucial.
Three separate random-effects meta-analyses had been performed, one for every end result (lifetime suicidal ideation, lifetime suicidal try, demise by suicide). Numerous sub-group meta-analyses had been additionally carried out. Narrative synthesis was additionally used to explain the research, in addition to potential moderating variables investigated within the research.
The evaluate adopted related reporting pointers and the protocol was preregistered on PROSPERO (CRD42022360410).
Outcomes
75 research (inhabitants = 106,719,740) met inclusion standards, with 29 research (inhabitants 103,732,942) having enough information to be included within the meta-analysis. Research had been largely cross-sectional (43%) and utilised quantitative strategies (93%). Findings from every meta-analysis might be seen within the desk beneath:
| Consequence | Variety of research (impact estimates) | Outcomes |
| Suicidal Ideation | 5 (7) | Separated or divorced males had been 1.64 occasions extra more likely to report suicidal ideation relative to married males.
Pooled odds of suicidal ideation amongst separated/divorced males in Asian cultures didn’t differ considerably from separated/divorced relative to married males in Western cultures. |
| Suicidal try | 8 (8) | Divorced males had been 1.73 occasions extra more likely to try suicide relative to married males.
When taking a look at research that mixed divorced males and separated males, there was weak proof that the pooled odds of lifetime suicide try elevated in comparison with married males. While there was robust proof for affiliation when analyzing unadjusted estimates, there was weak proof for associations when together with simply estimates with adjustment for sociodemographic variables and no less than one indicator of psychiatric morbidity with odds attenuated in direction of the null. Odds of suicide try amongst separated/ divorced versus married males didn’t differ between Asian and Western cultures. |
| Dying by suicide | 22 (56) | Divorced males had been 2.82 occasions extra more likely to die by suicide than married males.
Compared to married males, youthful divorced males had been extra more likely to die by suicide than older divorced males. Adjusting for a spread of confounders attenuated the associations for divorced males versus married males. Divorced males in Asian cultures had been 4.18 occasions extra more likely to die by suicide than married males, larger than these of divorced males in Western cultures, who had 2.56 occasions larger odds of suicide. Separated males had been 4.82 occasions extra more likely to die by suicide relative to married males. Youthful separated males (≤34 years) exhibited over eight occasions the chances of suicide relative to their married counterparts. Separated males had been 1.96 occasions extra more likely to die by suicide relative to divorced males. |
Moreover, youthful age (≤34 years), lower than tertiary schooling, and lack of employment; the recency of relationship breakdown; and psychological components together with loneliness and isolation, preexisting psychological sickness and underlying vulnerabilities, and disgrace and emotion dysregulation had been discovered to be potential moderating components of the associations in a few of the research the authors recognized.
The accessible proof suggests relationship breakdowns are related to suicidal behaviours in males.
Conclusions
The authors conclude that:
This research solidifies intimate relationship breakdown as a transparent vulnerability marker for suicide in males. Subgroups of males navigating relationship misery and dissolution seem to expertise a disproportionate probability of suicide, significantly youthful and acutely separated males, alongside divorced males in Asian tradition.
They add that:
In the end, the top of a relationship ought to by no means imply the top of life, and the normative inevitability of relationship breakdown calls for consideration as an all too-common circumstance of suicides amongst males.
The top of a relationship ought to by no means imply the top of a life.
Strengths and limitations
One of many main strengths of this evaluate is that they performed a meta-analysis to synthesise the research findings, and that they did this for plenty of totally different sub-groups, though some did have restricted numbers, lowering the robustness of the proof.
Likewise, a power of this evaluate is that it contains papers of all methodology sorts, and doesn’t restrict to particular geographic areas. Nonetheless, it does limit to research solely written in English. Suicide charges are highest in low- and middle- revenue nations (World Well being Organisation, 2025), the place English is much less more likely to be spoken, and by limiting to research in English, it’s possible papers have been missed from nations the place the burden of suicide is highest. The overwhelming majority of research included on this evaluate are from high-income nations; this will likely even be on account of a scarcity of proof accessible. While not a limitation of the evaluate however of the accessible proof, there have been few research included on transgender males, and the function relationship breakdowns play in suicidal behaviors on this inhabitants.
As well as, just one writer performed nearly all of the screening and extracting processes; it is suggested that two reviewers do that to make sure all potential research are included. Due to this, some research might have been missed.
The evaluate largely contains research from high-income nations, limiting the generalisability of those findings to different settings.
Implications for observe
This evaluate has highlighted the elevated threat of suicidal behaviours in males following a relationship breakdown, suggesting it could possibly be an space for intervention growth and implementation. The authors provide implications for suicide prevention and future analysis.
Nonetheless, whether or not population-based approaches ought to be designed to give attention to males in the entire inhabitants after they’ve suffered a relationship breakdown is questionable. How would they be recognized? How would they be focused? And would the profit outweigh the inevitable value of this method?
As an alternative, growing expertise and selling coping mechanisms and resilience for difficult points of life may support in suicide prevention after a relationship breakdown, but in addition after many different important life occasions. This could possibly be provided through school-based academic programmes.
The evaluate additionally suggests normalising wholesome adjustment to relationship breakdown amongst males could possibly be achieved by public well being campaigns, in addition to bettering help-seeking behaviours on this inhabitants. If males do search assist put up relationship breakdown, clinicians and different healthcare suppliers ought to be conscious the danger this has for suicidal behaviours, and medical interventions could possibly be developed for these cases.
By way of future analysis, the authors counsel additional exploring the moderating results of various variables, each quantitatively and qualitatively. This could permit for the identification of particular teams of males most in danger following a relationship breakdown, indicating teams that could possibly be focused through interventions. The necessity for longitudinal information to discover these interactions quantitatively is highlighted, alongside the necessity for qualitative research to grasp the complexity and variability of the analysis query. As well as, there was a transparent lack of proof (both on account of availability or through the search technique) from low- and middle-income nations. The impression of relationship breakdowns could also be amplified in these nations as divorce and relationship breakdowns are sometimes extra stigmatised e.g. it’s unlawful within the Philippines, or on account of larger monetary insecurity in these settings, which means the breakdown has larger sensible and emotional penalties. Stigma of psychological well being issues might additional scale back help-seeking behaviour in males highlighting the necessity for culturally-sensitive interventions.
How will males experiencing a relationship breakdown be recognized and focused in whole-population approaches? As an alternative, we must always give attention to fostering resilience which may also help buffer the consequences of a relationship breakdown in addition to different distressing life occasions.
Assertion of pursuits
No conflicts of curiosity.
Hyperlinks
Major paper
Wilson, M. J., Scott, A. J., Pilkington, V., Macdonald, J. A., Rice, S. M., Oliffe, J. L., & Seidler, Z. E. (2025). Suicidality in males following relationship breakdown: A scientific evaluate and meta-analysis of world information. Psychological Bulletin.
Different references
Bennett, S., Robb, Ok. A., Zortea, T. C., Dickson, A., Richardson, C., & O’Connor, R. C. (2023). Male suicide threat and restoration components: A scientific evaluate and qualitative meta-synthesis of twenty years of analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 149(7-8), 371–417.
Important Appraisal Abilities Program. (2018). CASP qualitative guidelines. https://casp-uk.internet/casp-tools-checklists/qualitative-studies-checklist/
Fazel, S., & Runeson, B. (2020). Suicide. The New England Journal of Drugs, 382(3), 266–274.
Lengvenyte, A., Conejero, I., Courtet, P., & Olié, E. (2021). Organic bases of suicidal behaviours: A story evaluate. European Journal of Neuroscience, 53(1), 330–351.
Nationwide Coronary heart Lung and Blood Institute. (2021). Examine high quality evaluation instruments. https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health-topics/study-quality-assessmenttools
Richardson, C., Robb, Ok. A., & O’Connor, R. C. (2021). A scientific evaluate of suicidal behaviour in males: A story synthesis of threat components. Social Science & Drugs, 113831.
Turecki G, Brent DA, Gunnell D, et al. Suicide and Suicide Threat. Nature Evaluations Illness Primers 2019 5:1. 2019;5(1):1-22
World Well being Organisation. (2025). Suicide. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/element/suicide
