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High risk of succide in men with lower IQ score

In the largest study of its kind ever undertaken, a team of researchers
analyzed the medical records of more than one million men dating back over 24
years and compared rates of hospital admission for attempted suicide against IQ
scores. They found that even after adjusting for factors such as age and
socioeconomic status, men with lower IQ scores were significantly more likely to
have attempted suicide. The findings appear in the British Medical Journal.

"We have found a clear link between IQ and attempted suicide in this group of
men. In common with some previous, smaller studies, we have shown that men with
lower scores have a markedly greater risk of attempted suicide than men of
higher IQ," noted researcher David Batty. He goes on to suggest a number of
possible explanations that might underlie the association.

Firstly, low IQ tends to correlate with lower socioeconomic status and income,
and so individuals with a lower IQ may experience more social and financial
disadvantage, leading to an increase in suicidal thoughts and behaviors. Lower
IQ has also been associated with poor health behaviors such as binge drinking,
which also increases suicide risk. However, Batty says these factors are
unlikely to fully explain the observed associations.

He also speculates that IQ may influence an individual's ability to deal with
stressful circumstances or traumatic events. Other studies suggest that those of
higher intelligence are more resilient to stress. Additionally, individuals with
lower IQ scores may have poorer problem-solving abilities and, in times of
crisis, be less able to identify practical solutions to their problems.

Another possible explanation, though one which the researchers were unable to
investigate further, was the role of violence early in life. Exposure to
violence early in life, either directly as a victim or indirectly as a witness
has been previously shown to influence both IQ or academic performance and
future risk of suicide or suicidal thoughts.

"Suicide, either attempted or actual, is a serious problem, particularly amongst
young adults, but we have a relatively poor understanding of what leads a person
to take such drastic action," said co-researcher Elise Whitley. "If we can
better understand the association between IQ and suicide, this will provide
valuable insight into why some people make such a tragic decision."