Table 2.
Characteristics of the included literature.
| No. | References, country | Design | Sample | Antecedents | Defining attributes | Consequences | Empirical referents |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Fenaughty et al. (28), New Zealand | Qualitative | Young gay men | The coming-out process | Social support, high self-esteem, active efforts to develop effective coping strategies | Swing the finely balanced seesaw away from a suicide attempt | Interview |
| 2. | Osman et al. (17), USA | Quantitative | Adolescents and adults | Suicide risk | Internal protection, external protection, emotional stability | Reduce suicide risk | Suicide Resilience Inventory |
| 3. | Everall et al. (29), Canada | Qualitative | Previously suicidal female | Being suicidal | Social support, emotion-focused coping strategies, shifting to positive perspective, purposeful and goal-directed action | Overcome suicidality | Interview |
| 4. | Bostik (30), Canada | Dissertation (Qualitative) | Those who had experienced adolescent suicidality | Being suicidal | Supportive relationships, feeling safe, willingness to turn to others for help and support, finding hope, sense of control, personal responsibility, positive thinking, meaning in life, thinking about others | Able to cope effectively with feelings of despair, better equipped to handle future challenges successfully | Interview |
| 5. | Lakeman et al. (31), Australian | Review | Those who had experienced suicidal ideation | Being suicidal | Connection with others | Live with or get over being suicidal | N/A |
| 6. | Bergmans et al. (32), Canada | Qualitative | Young adults between the ages of 18–25 years, who have a history of two or more suicide attempts | Repeated suicide-related behavior | Becoming aware of choices, diagnostic education, becoming aware of emotions, understanding the role of emotion as part of human experience, and learning to identify and tolerate emotions | Transition from higher to lower risk of suicide, moving from “living to die” to “dying to live” | Interview |
| 7. | Johnson et al. (33), UK | Quantitative | Participants with schizophrenia-spectrum disorders | Schizophrenia-spectrum disorders | Positive self-appraisals (particular appraisals of emotion coping ability) | Buffer the pernicious impact of hopelessness in the development of suicidal thoughts | Resilience Appraisals Scale |
| 8. | Johnson et al. (34), UK | Quantitative | College student | Stressful life events | Positive self-appraisals | Buffer the effect that negative life events have on suicidality | Resilience Appraisals Scale |
| 9. | Johnson et al. (14), UK | Review | N/A | Suicide risk | Positive attributional style, high levels of agency, problem-solving ability, self-esteem, problem-solving confidence, social support | Buffer individuals from the development of suicidality in the face of risk factors or stressors | N/A |
| 10. | O'Dwyer et al. (35), Australian | Qualitative | Family carers of people with dementia | Intense and demanding work of caring for a family member with dementia | Coping strategies, personal characteristics such as flexibility, determination and compassion, social support, faith | Do not experience suicidal thoughts, despite challenging care situations, or have refrained from acting on suicidal thoughts | Interview |
| 11. | Sun et al. (18), Taiwan | Qualitative | Patients who recovered from suicide attempts and their caregivers | Suicide attempt | Self-reflection and to live for family, strong support systems, becoming flexible and open-minded, rebuild a positive sense of self, positive coping strategies to deal with stress, self-care | Keep going to achieve a satisfying life | Interview |
| 12. | Kleiman et al. (15), USA | Quantitative | Undergraduate students | Suicide risk | Meaning in life | Decrease suicidal ideation over time and decrease lifetime odds of a suicide attempt | N/A |
| 13. | Kleiman et al. (36), USA | Quantitative | College students | Suicide risk | Meaning in life, gratitude, grit | Decline suicidal ideation over time | N/A |
| 14. | Benson (37), USA | Dissertation (Quantitative) | Veterans | Combat distress | Sense of coherence (the ability to understand, manage, and find meaning in negative life experiences) | Successfully cope with their combat experiences and prevent subsequent suicidality despite how traumatic they perceive their experiences to be | Suicide Resilience Inventory |
| 15. | Chi et al. (38), Taiwan | Qualitative | People who had attempted suicide | Suicide attempt | Self-awareness, inter-relatedness of life, coping in a healthy manner with the stresses in life, acceptance of self, others, and of life itself, adjusting to the reality | Regain the desire to be alive and begin investing in life | Interview |
| 16. | Reading et al. (20), UK | Qualitative | Prisoners with a past experience of suicidal thoughts, feelings, or attempts | Being suicidal | Sense of self, presence of meaning, connectedness, shift of perspective, and re-establishing control | Overcome suicidality | Interview |
| 17. | Panagioti et al. (39), UK | Quantitative | Individuals who had previously been exposed to a traumatic event and reported PTSD symptoms in the past month | PTSD symptoms | Perceived social support | Buffer individuals with PTSD symptoms against the development of suicidal thoughts and behaviors | N/A |
| 18. | Kleiman et al. (40), USA | Quantitative | College students | Suicide risk | Social support and positive events | Buffer the relationship between negative events and suicidal ideation | N/A |
| 19. | Matel-Anderson et al. (41), USA | Qualitative | Nurses who had experiences working with adolescent inpatients admitted for a suicide attempt | Suicide attempt | Connection with others, future plans, faith or a belief, expression of feelings, and communicating stressful thoughts | Prevent future suicide attempts and completion | Interview |
| 20. | Heisel et al. (42), Canada | Quantitative | Community-residing older adults over 65 years old | Late-life suicide risk | Meaning in life | Protect against the onset or exacerbation of late-life suicide ideation | N/A |
| 21. | Chan et al. (43), Canada | Qualitative | Participants who have contemplated death by suicide | Being suicidal | Social support, religion and spirituality, reconnecting with self, realizing the impact on family, things to be done, goals for the future, healthy coping behaviors | Find reasons to go on living | Interview |
| 22. | Kapoor et al. (44), USA | Quantitative | Low-income African American women who reported a suicide attempt and exposure to intimate partner violence in the prior year or currently | Childhood abuse, suicide attempt | Intrapersonal strength, self-efficacy, spiritual well-being, Internal protection, external protection, emotional stability | Protect an individual from engaging in suicidal behavior in response to major stressors, other risk factors, and suicidal thoughts | Suicide Resilience Inventory |
| 23. | Crona et al. (45), Sweden | Qualitative | Inpatients diagnosed with severe depression who had attempted suicide | Being suicidal | Regaining control, relief in the personal situation, professional care | Make a decision to continue living | Interview |
| 24. | Sellin et al. (46), Sweden | Qualitative | Participants who were admitted to psychiatric inpatient care related to suicide risk | Suicide risk | Reconnecting with oneself, expressing oneself, supportive relatives, professional care | Be capable of managing their own lives | Interview |
| 25. | Sun et al. (47), Taiwan | Quantitative | People who had attempted suicide | Suicide attempt | Self-awareness of the value of life, application of coping strategies, striving to live a normal and satisfying life, better economic conditions, less frequent suicidal behavior | Create a more stable and fulfilling life, have an improved recovery from suicide | Suicidal recovery ability Scale |
| 26. | Tofthagen et al. (48), Norway | Qualitative | People who have committed no self-harm during the past 2 years and experienced recovery from self-harm | Suicidal behavior | Stable relationship, inner pain expression, reconciling with oneself, engaging in alternative actions to self-harm, taking responsibility for themselves, receiving guidance from mental health nurse | Learn to choose life and cope with everyday life without the need for self-harm, gain a greater understanding of how one's own wellbeing can be promoted even without being completely ‘cured' of the illness | Interview |
| 27. | Collins et al. (49), Australian | Quantitative | University students | Suicide risk | Mindfulness, zest for life | Lower levels of suicidal desire | N/A |
| 28. | Siegmann et al. (50), German | Quantitative | University students | Depressive symptoms | Positive mental health, life satisfaction, social support | Buffer the impact of depressive symptoms on suicide ideation | N/A |
| 29. | Sun et al. (51), Taiwan | Quantitative | Individuals who have attempted suicide | Suicide attempt | Self-awareness of the value of life, application of coping strategies, striving to live a normal and satisfying life | Reawaken hope and regain the desire to live | Suicidal Recovery Ability Scale |
| 30. | Gallagher et al. (52), USA | Review | High-risk youth | High suicide risk | Individual assets such as problem-solving, cognitive style, self-esteem, ecological resources such as social support, meaningful activities | Reduce suicide risk | N/A |
| 31. | Roberts (53), USA | Dissertation (qualitative) | Adults who thought about taking their own lives as an adolescent and decided against it | Being suicidal | Connectedness, hope, and love | Lessen the intensity of emotional pain, and not act on arising suicidal thoughts | Interview |
| 32. | Shaw et al. (54), USA | Qualitative | Alaska Native or American Indian who had a self-reported history of seeking help for suicidality | Being suicidal | Positive social connections, responsibility, access to health services, skills to mitigate stress | Lessen the severity of their suicidality, stay safe during times when they had experienced thoughts of suicide, reduce suicide risk | Interview |
| 33. | Matel-Anderson et al. (55), USA | Quantitative | College students 18 to 24 years old | Suicide risk | Social support, positive thinking, self-esteem | Decrease the risk of suicide | Suicide Resilience Inventory |
| 34. | Gulbas et al. (56), USA | Qualitative | Latina adolescents who attempt suicide | Suicide attempt | Reconnection to family, access to mental health services, development of cognitive strengths and coping skills | Promote and sustain wellbeing following a suicide attempt, a reduction in feelings of hopelessness and suicidal thoughts | Interview |
| 35. | Fullerton et al. (57), USA | Quantitative | Public school students in grades 9 to 12 | Suicide risk | Positive adult relationships | Greatly reduce the odds of suicide attempt | N/A |
| 36. | Harris et al. (58), UK | Qualitative | Individuals with non-affective psychosis or schizophrenia diagnoses who had the experience suicidal thoughts and behaviors | A diagnosis of schizophrenia and being suicidal | Understanding experiences, reasons to live, sense of security, responsibility to others, a desire for personal development, active behaviors including talking to people, keeping occupied, and feeling supported | Manage psychosis and the concomitant suicidal thoughts and behaviors | Interview |
| 37. | Zaheer et al. (59), Canada | Qualitative | Chinese-born women living in Canada with a history of suicidal behavior | Being suicidal | Support from health professionals, family, and friends, spiritual support, self-care, creating goals for the future, and a sense of mastery | Reduce suicide ideation, and improve their ability to cope with stress and pressure | Interview |
| 38. | Fuller-Thomson et al. (60), Canada | Quantitative | Canadians in chronic and disabling pain who had ever had serious suicidal thoughts | Suicide ideation relating to chronic pain | Be older, white, women, better educated, with a confidant and more likely to use spirituality or religion to cope, no history of mental health illness | Free of suicidal thoughts in the preceding year | N/A |
| 39. | Wadhwa et al. (61), Canada | Quantitative | Three studies of suicide ideation among older adults | Late-life suicide risk | Reasons for living | Protect against suicide risk in later life | The Reasons for Living-Suicide Resiliency Scale |
| 40. | Chen et al. (62), Taiwan | Dissertation (qualitative) | Adult suicide attempters | Suicide attempt | Willing to seek help, healthy coping behaviors, strengthening ability and confidence to face and solve problems, adjust thinking, social support, religion, health professionals, responsibility | Move away from the suicide crisis, and move toward life adaptation and recovery | Interview |
| 41. | Clement et al. (63), USA | Quantitative | College students | Suicide risk | Optimism, hope, and grit | Reduce suicide risk | N/A |
| 42. | Harris et al. (64), UK | Review | N/A | Schizophrenia diagnoses | Perceived social support, holding religious and spiritual beliefs, reasons for living, perceived positive personal skills and attributes | Prevent suicidal thoughts and behaviors | N/A |
| 43. | Rodríguez-Quiroga et al. (65), Spain | Quantitative | Adolescents | Suicide risk | Cognitive resilience, interpersonal relationship | Reduce suicide risk | STOP-Suicidality Resilience Factors Scale |
| 44. | Sánchez-Teruel et al. (16), Spain | Quantitative | People who have made a previous suicide attempt | Suicide attempt | Internal protection, external protection, emotional stability | Reduce the high risk of suicide reattempt | Scale of resilience to Suicide Attempts |
| 45. | Kumar et al. (66), USA | Quantitative | Undergraduate students who reported an adolescent or adulthood sexual assault | Posttraumatic stress symptoms linked to sexual assault | Optimism, gratitude | Decrease the adverse impact of a traumatic event, weaken the association between posttraumatic stress and suicidal ideation | N/A |
| 46. | Houchins (67), USA | Dissertation (quantitative) | Active duty U.S. Army Soldiers who reported significant suicidal ideation | Suicide ideation | Reasons for living, positive attributional style, grit, posttraumatic growth, mindfulness, purpose/meaning in life, curiosity, and dispositional optimism | Protect against suicidality | N/A |
| 47. | Bryan et al. (68), USA | Quantitative | US military personnel | High suicide risk | Happiness, meaning in life | Reduce suicide risk | N/A |
| 48. | Fuller-Thomson et al. (69), Canada | Quantitative | Respondents who reported that they had attempted suicide at some point in their lives | Suicide attempt | Having a confidant, being female, older age, higher income, and having no history of mental illness | Free from suicidal thoughts, experience life satisfaction, and psychological wellbeing | N/A |
| 49. | Yu et al. (70), USA | Quantitative | Adolescents with different patterns of depressive symptoms | Depressive symptoms | Life satisfaction, optimism | Buffer against suicidality risk in the face of mild or moderate to severe depressive symptoms | N/A |
| 50. | Richardson et al. (71), UK | Qualitative | Men who had attempted suicide | Suicide attempt | Recognizing the need for help and support, talking, social connections and relationships with others | Manage a crisis, halt the progression from suicidal ideation to behavior | Interview |
| 51. | Ridge et al. (72), UK | Qualitative | Men who self-reported past serious suicidal thinking and intent | Being suicidal | Realizing that they had control of their own fate, gaining an understanding of their distress, initiating meaningful life change, connecting with others, and refocusing on the positive | Move away from suicidal thinking and toward recovery | Interview |
| 52. | Han et al. (9), Australia | Quantitative | Young adults aged between 18 and 25 years who experienced suicidal thoughts in the past year | Being suicidal | Cognitive flexibility, self-efficacy in expressions of positive affect, reduced use of digital technology, less self-harm and substance use for coping | Less severe suicidal thoughts, greater positive affect, and less negative affect | N/A |