Work Expectations, Cultural Sensitivity, Schizophrenia, and Suicide Risk in Male Patients

This study examines the relationship between "vocational lost potential" and suicide risk in a mixed sample of severely and persistently mentally ill psychiatric patients. We hypothesized that increased lost potential would be associated with increased suicide risk indicator ratings and that this relationship would be moderated by patients' social class of origin. One hundred sixty-seven psychiatric patients rated a range of clinical symptoms and vocational expectations, as well as providing sociodemographic information including their parents' years of education (used as a proxy for social class of origin). Contrary to our prediction, the results suggest that individuals from higher social class who experience minimal lost potential may be at a higher risk for suicide than their counterparts with maximal lost potential; this is especially true when based on fathers' educational level. In discussing the clinical implications of our findings, we suggest that a subgroup of individuals' vocational success may depend on first addressing the cognitive conflict inherent in the phenomenon of lost potential.