Background: Suicide ideation and behaviors are directly linked to the risk of death by suicide. In Romania, as well as worldwide, increased suicide rates were observed in the recent past, more so in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of psychosocial factors, quality of life (QOL), and loneliness dimensions and adverse life antecedents on suicide ideation (SI) and prolonged sadness (PS). Methods: This cross-sectional quantitative research study used a CATI data gathering method to investigate 1102 randomly selected individuals over 18 years of age regarding various determinants of SI and PS. Data were collected in June 2021. Descriptive, inferential, and multivariate statistics were used for data analysis. Results: SI was negatively correlated with all the assessed psychosocial factors, more significantly with family relationships, wealth, health, social relationships, and affective life. Stronger correlations were observed when investigating the state of prolonged sadness, sex, and affective lives along with health and income, which were more influential. SI was negatively correlated with QOL and positively correlated with adverse life events and total loneliness scores. Lesser educated youngsters with reduced overall happiness and a history of depression, self-harm, and trauma were at greater risk of developing SI. Conclusions: This is the first national study exploring the suicide ideation and prolonged sadness in relation to psychosocial factors, quality of life, and adverse life events. These results have important implications for suicide prevention programs, which should be designed in accordance with similar studies.

Suicide, a major contributor to global mortality rates, especially among young patients, remains insufficiently integrated into public health initiatives despite notable progress in identifying its determinants. The prediction of suicidal behavior remains complex, often relying on subjective assessments rather than objective biomarkers. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) such as rs110402 (CRHR1 gene), rs3800373 (FKBP5 gene), and rs2289656 (NTRK2 gene) have been linked to physiological mechanisms involving stress response and activation of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis, which contributes to anxiety and stress regulation. This study aimed to assess stress-related gene polymorphisms in individuals with suicidal behavior compared to controls. According to our results, the presence of the A allele of rs2289656 was associated with a protective effect, while the GG genotype conferred a higher susceptibility to suicidal behaviors. Significant associations were observed between trauma and abuse history and the rs110402 polymorphism in CRHR1 gene, highlighting a protective role for the GG genotype and increased predisposition to stress-related psychiatric conditions and suicidal behavior for A allele carriers. No valid associations were found for rs3800373 in the FKBP5 gene, although suggestive trends related to depression and self-aggression were noted. Our findings underscore the need to identify reliable biomarkers associated with suicide risk, highlighting the importance of integrating hereditary and psychosocial data to better understand the underlying mechanisms and to support the development of effective early interventions.

Suicidality is a complex multifactorial phenomenon strongly associated with major depression and other psychiatric disorders. Building on evidence implicating the Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) in modulating the immune and inflammatory processes characterizing psychiatric disorders, we hypothesized that specific HLA-DQB1 and HLA-DRB1 variants may contribute to an increased genetic susceptibility to suicidal behavior. Human Leucocyte Antigen (HLA) typing by sequence-specific primers (PCR-SSP) was performed on a sample of 196 individuals, including 70 non-lethal suicide attempters, 28 cases of completed suicide, and matched controls. The *HLA-DQB1 02/06 (RR 1.60, CI95% 1.22–2.09, p = 0.03 *) and *HLA-DRB1 11/15 (RR 1.70, CI95% 1.3–2.24, p = 0.04 *) genotypes and the HLA-DRB115~DQB103 haplotype (RR 1.58, CI95% 1.22–2.04, p = 0.03 *) were found to favor suicidal behavior. Psychosocial determinants associated with an increased suicidal risk were bereavement of close relatives (linked with HLA-DQB1*02), memory dysfunction (HLA-DQB1*06), disillusionment (HLA-DRB1*07 and HLA-DRB1*15), and self-harm (HLA-DRB1*15). Our findings support the contributory role of HLA polymorphisms in shaping susceptibility to suicidal behavior.

Objectives: Eating disorders negatively affect the health and the quality of the human’s life. Data on eating patterns and on mental health are scarce in the Eastern European region. The pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus seriously affected all dimensions of life, including the dietary habits and the mental health status of the people. The aim of this study was to investigate which psychosocial factors were associated with disordered eating among Romanian adults during the COVID-19 pandemic. Material and methods: A nationally representative sample of 1102 adults participated in 2021 in a telephone-based survey about eating practices and psychosocial wellbeing. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to estimate the prevalence and correlates of disordered eating among Romanian adults in the midst of the COVID-19 lockdown. Results: Sixty-five percent of adults reported some type of disordered eating. Men, people with more education and older adults more frequently reported overeating; women and young adults more frequently reported undereating and oscillating between over- and under-eating. There were no consistent patterns of disordered eating according to education or place of residence. People who reported undereating were also more likely to report a low quality of life, a low mood and loneliness. Undereating was also associated with adverse life events – suicide ideation, abuse, depression and prolonged sadness – except for self-harm. Conclusions: Disordered eating is a common custom. Programs are needed to prevent the initiation of disordered eating. Eating too little could be related to poverty rather than to a mental health issue; therefore, future research should include measures related to food insecurity. Keywords: Disordered eating, mental health, Romania.