What is it about?
Published in Psychological Bulletin (#2 ranked journal in Psychology), this was the first systematic review and meta-analysis to examine men’s risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviours following romantic breakups, separation and divorce. This review answered previously unaddressed questions regarding which men are at risk of suicide following relationship breakdown, and what factors influence their risk. In total, 75 studies were reviewed, representing 30 countries worldwide. The total analytic cohort encompassed over 106 million men, making this the largest evidence synthesis ever conducted on the subject. Sophisticated subgroup meta-analyses compared men’s odds of suicide post-breakup according to variability in age, culture, and the extent to which studies controlled for pre-existing psychiatric morbidity. Overall, divorced men were 2.8 times more likely to die by suicide than married men. The acute aftermath of relationship breakdown appears particularly risky, as separated men had 4.8 times greater odds of suicide than married men. Novel findings also highlighted factors differentiating men’s vulnerability to suicidality following relationship breakdown. In particular, social isolation, emotion dysregulation, shame and pre-existing psychiatric morbidity all seemed to elevate men’s risk of suicidality following relationship breakdown.
Featured Image
Photo by Eric Ward on Unsplash
Why is it important?
While we have known for some time that intimate partner problems are linked with suicide risk, most research has focused on whether men or women are at greater risk following separation or divorce. We have limited understanding of which men are most at risk, and what factors play a role in men's suicidality post breakup. This focus is critical, as while we may not be able to prevent relationship breakdown, we can intervene in the factors influencing men's risk, such as social isolation and emotion dysregulation. Findings of this study have clear implications for suicide prevention at individual, community and population levels.
Perspectives
My hope is that this article raises awareness regarding the complex connections between intimate partner relationship breakdown and men's suicidality. In many ways, the findings generate more questions than they answer, as it is clear we still lack the evidence to provide a clear picture of the diverse and complex paths to suicide following relationship breakdown for men. For example, few studies documented connections between intimate partner violence, relationship breakdown and suicidality. There is likely huge overlap here, we just don't have the data to understand it - so I hope this review catalyses further research to address clear gaps in evidence.
Michael Wilson
University of Melbourne
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Suicidality in men following relationship breakdown: A systematic review and meta-analysis of global data., Psychological Bulletin, July 2025, American Psychological Association (APA),
DOI: 10.1037/bul0000482.
You can read the full text:
Resources
Contributors
The following have contributed to this page
