Examining the association between trust perceptions and suicide approval: a sociological analysis

Edwards, Arran Robert (2025) Examining the association between trust perceptions and suicide approval: a sociological analysis. PhD thesis, University of Glasgow.

Abstract

Sociology has become a minor player in the study of suicide, with previous analyses tending to focus on how structural aspects of social relationships are implicated in suicide risk. By contrast, less attention has been given to how individuals perceive their social relationships. This PhD attempts to address this oversight by examining how perceptions of trust in key social groups are associated with suicide approval, a proxy measure for suicide risk. Drawing upon existing sociological and psychological theory, trust is conceptualised as a multidimensional construct that can have different consequences for suicide risk depending on whether it is invested in more intimate or distant relationships. These ideas are empirically tested through an analysis of data from waves 6 and 7 of the World Values Survey, covering 243281 individuals across 102 countries. Measures of trust are developed by applying exploratory factor analysis to items on trust in six different groups. Results point toward two latent dimensions of particular trust (trust in neighbours and personal acquaintances) and general trust (trust in strangers, religious outgroups and national outgroups), with family trust forming a standalone item. These three trust measures are then used to predict suicide approval as part of a Bayesian multilevel model. On average, family and particular trust are found to be negatively associated with suicide approval whereas general trust is found to be positively associated with this outcome. In turn, these associations are shown to vary in magnitude across countries, suggesting they are influenced by contextual factors. It is concluded that trust perceptions may be relevant for explaining suicide risk and could have different consequences for this outcome depending on the type of relationship in which trust is embedded.

• Item Type: Thesis (PhD)
• Qualification Level: Doctoral
• Subjects: B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology; H Social Sciences > HM Sociology
• Colleges/Schools: College of Social Sciences > School of Social and Political Sciences
• Funder's Name: Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)
• Supervisor's Name: Ferrie, Professor Jo, Pamphilis, Dr. Niccole and O'Connor, Professor Rory
• Date of Award: 2025
• Depositing User: Theses Team
• Unique ID: glathesis:2025-85181
• Copyright: Copyright of this thesis is held by the author.
• Date Deposited: 12 Jun 2025 13:22
• Last Modified: 12 Jun 2025 13:25
• Thesis DOI: 10.5525/gla.thesis.85181
• URI: https://theses.gla.ac.uk/id/eprint/85181