The Relationship Between Suicide Risk and Ruminative Thought in Alcohol and Substance Intoxication Cases Presenting to the Emergency Department

Objective: This study was conducted to examine the relationship between ruminative thinking styles and suicide probability in individuals presenting to the emergency department with suspected alcohol and substance intoxication/use, and to investigate whether these variables differ according to various demographic characteristics. Methods: The sample of this descriptive study consisted of 45 cases presenting to the emergency departments of two hospitals in eastern Turkey. Data were collected using a Sociodemographic Data Form, the Rumination Scale, and the Suicide Probability Scale. Descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, independent samples t-test, and Linear Regression analysis were used for data analysis. Results: Of the participants, 66.7% were male and 44.4% were in the 18–23 age group. A positive and moderately significant relationship was found between rumination and suicide probability (r = 0.441; p = 0.001). Regression analysis revealed that rumination explained 34% of the variance in the suicide probability. Furthermore, suicide probability scores of those using non-alcohol or multiple substances were significantly higher than those using only alcohol (p = 0.025). Conclusions: Ruminative thinking is a significant associated factor of suicide risk in patients with alcohol and substance use disorders presenting to the emergency department. It is recommended that cognitive assessments of these patients be conducted during clinical processes and that multiple-substance users, in particular, should be closely monitored for suicide risk.